Faster Than The Two Of Us Combined
by Faye-The-BookWolf
Summary: A collection of one-shots surrounding Taz and Up throughout the time they've known each other. Taz/Up primarily. rated T for Taz's language
1. Fear

**A/N- SO. This is my first time writing a Starship fic. I am completely in LOVE with this couple right now. They are just so ADORABLE. So. I decided to write this series. I'd like you, the reader, to provide me with short prompts, on what to write about these two, and I will write it! Throw it at me, I can handle it! **

**Starship belongs to Starkid, of course! **

**Sorry if anything's wrong with this. It's 4.44am XD**

One of the few times Taz had ever been afraid was that fateful day on her fifteenth birthday, her _Quinceañera_. She remembered the smell of burning flesh, of staring into the black, emotionless eyes of the robots who had taken her whole family away from her. That fear had soon been overshadowed by her furious anger as she beat at the robots with every ounce of strength she had before they had tied her to that tree.

Taz had never felt that fear again since then. She had been trained by the G.L.E.E. Academy to banish fear. She had to be tough. She had to be strong, a tough son-of-a-bitch. She needed to be a _hijo de puta duro. _

Despite all of the training she had gone through, despite trying to forget her fears, to push past them without a single care in the world, Taz couldn't really fool herself at this particular moment. She was terrified. Her terror, however, translated into anger towards others, and that was how she found herself inside the medical bay, threatening the head-doctor with her knife, a steely glare in her eyes.

"Lieutenant," the doctor tried to pacify, keeping his gaze locked on the knife Taz was holding dangerously close to his neck. "Please try to understand-"

"No." Taz snarled, her eyes alight with a sudden fire. "Jou listen to me _cabron." _She spat, pressing the steel of the knife against the doctor's neck with a little more force, causing him to swallow convulsively. _"No idiota me jodas." _She hissed. "Do not fuck with me, asshole. I want to see Up, _entiendes?" _

"Lieutenant," The doctor said quickly, trying to exert a little bit more control over the situation, despite the knife being held at his through. "The commander isn't ready for visitors, he's still-"

"Still what?" Taz demanded, her steely gaze wavering for a split second before she snarled and tried to push forward again. "Still WHAT, _idiota?" _

Both Taz and the doctor froze as the shouts began down at the end of the medical-bay, and Taz felt her breath catch and her heartbeat increase at the words they were shouting. She couldn't understand most of it, First-Aid had never been her specialty at the academy, but she could pick up a few sentences through the haze in her brain.

"-Flatlined!-"

"-Need to get him stable!-"

"-Commander, stay with us!-"

Taz practically threw the doctor out of her way in her quest to reach the end of the medical-bay. She ignored his cries for her to stop, ignored everything except Up. She stopped at the foot of his bed, her eyes widening slightly at the sight before her. The noise of the flat heart-monitor rang through her ears as she stared at Up's still body, lying on the hospital bed. Mechanically, she moved forward, ignoring the pleas of the doctors for her to leave, and placed her tiny hand into Up's large, calloused one.

"Jou can do dis Up." She murmured; her chocolate brown eyes glassy. She had made a promise to him a while ago to not cry, but dead goddamn, it was a hard promise to keep, especially seeing him so… vulnerable.

Taz's breath caught in her throat suddenly as the heart monitor suddenly leapt to life. It was a single beep, a single beat of the heart, but it told Taz everything she needed to know. Tightening her told of his hand, Taz's lips quirked up into a small smile as she heard the doctors' whisper in shock around her. Ignoring them, the small ranger kept her eyes locked on her best friend and commanding officer's face.

Something deep inside of her seemed to expand when those ocean blue eyes opened slowly. They wandered around the med-bay for a moment, confusion evident, before they locked on her own eyes.

"Taz." Up murmured, and though she cursed herself inwardly, a single tear slipped from Taz's eye and ran down her cheek as her lips curved into that special smile she saved just for him. Up's left hand reached up and clumsily wiped the tear away, wincing at the movement slightly. "Now Taz," he mumbled, his voice gruff. "I thought we had a promise…" he cringed and ground his teeth together, trying to ignore the pain.

"I know." Taz replied quietly, and without really thinking about her, her hand curved around the one cupping her cheek, and she smiled, albeit a little weakly. "But if jou had died Up, I would have never kept that promise."

"I could never had died today Taz." Up told her, ignoring the fuss of the doctors as they tried to get him to rest again. He kept his eyes locked on the small Spanish girl who had somehow entangled herself in his life six years ago. He noticed how her brow furrowed in confusion at what he was saying, and hid a smile, lightly brushing his thumb over her cheek. She blinked, obviously startled, but her eyes never left his.

"What are jou saying, _idiota?_" Taz asked quietly, and Up chuckled.

"I'm saying I heard you, and it reminded me what I had to live for."

Taz had only really been afraid at two major points of her young life, and at both times, her best friend, her commander, had been the one to wash away her fear and replace it with something new.

_Hope. _


	2. Quinceañera

**A/N- Sooo. Thanks for the positive feedback! This one was kinda tough to write, sorry about my terrible Spanish translations, I tried to not murder it too much! **

**Starship is owned by Starkid, not me D:**

Tasmine Lopez stared at herself in the full-length mirror she was currently stood in front of. Her chocolate brown eyes stared into her doppelgangers with nothing except pure hatred inside of them, mainly directed at the monstrosity she was currently being forced to wear.

"Tasmine." A voice murmured from behind her, and the fifteen year old stifled an irritated sigh, turning around to face her mother with a fake smile plastered on her face.

Felipa Lopez had to hold back a soft laugh at her daughter's expression when she turned to face her. She had accepted, when she had bought Tasmine the dress; that her daughter wasn't going to be happy with her choice, but was pleasantly surprised at how co-operative she was currently being. The dress was a soft, pastel pink colour with simple spaghetti straps. It hugged Tasmine's developing curves, and reached just below to her knees. Tasmine's expression when Felipa had revealed the dress had twisted into something akin to horror, but she had taken the dress with a mumbled _"Gracias_ _mamá," _and had gone upstairs to try it on, though Felipa had heard her daughters' combat boots stomping hard on the stairs.

"_Mi Hija" _Felipa smiled, kissing Tasmine's forehead. "Jou look _hermosa." _

Tasmine managed a strained smile at her mother's compliment before turning to stare at her reflection. She let out a frustrated sigh as her mother lightly tucked a flower petal behind her ear. The white petal stood in stark contrast to her ebony black hair which cascaded down to her shoulders usually, but was now twisted up on top of her head elegantly. The girl in front of her wasn't the real Tasmine Lopez, this was the girl who everyone would expect her to be from now on. No, this wasn't a girl. This was a woman.

"_Mamá " _Tasmine sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly. "I look _estúpido. _Maybe we should just give up trying to make me look like _una señora."_

"Tasmine." Felipa said sharply, turning the young woman around to face her. "I do not want jou to put jourself down today. Today is your _Quinceañera!_ Today, jou become a woman."

Tasmine saw her mother's eyes begin to tear up and bit her lip, clasping her mother's hands in her own small ones. She gave the elder woman a warm smile.

"_Gracias __mamá" _she said softly, and then smiled idly. "Now, jou can go and tell everyone that I'm going to be down in a minute. There's just one more thing I need to do."

Felipa nodded and ran her fingers underneath her eyes to wipe away the stray tears that had fallen. Without another word, she turned and walked out of Tasmine's bedroom, leaving the young woman to her thoughts. Tasmine took a deep breath and stared at her reflection with a determined grimace.

"Jou can do this." She tried to enthuse herself, feeling like she was failing miserably. She groaned slightly and pulled out her old nemesis; rouge lipstick.

"Let's get this over with." Tasmine muttered.

Tasmine stared at herself in the mirror, her chocolate brown eyes wide as she took in her reflection. Surely no-one could mistake her for the old Tasmine now, the Tasmine that climbed trees, got into fights and the Tasmine who was treated like one of the boys. Today she was Tasmine Lopez, a young woman, and the rouge lipstick had caused her lips to become much sultrier and alluring, the dark mascara and slight eye shadow gave her eyes a smoky appearance, and Tasmine was impressed despite herself.

"_Mierda." _She mumbled to herself, and shook her head with a scowl. She couldn't lose her head over this. Strengthening her resolve, the birthday girl turned to walk outside to greet her family members when a huge explosion rocked her home. Tasmine let out a loud cry and stumbled forward, grabbing onto the doorframe to keep herself steady. Once the ground had stopped shaking, Tasmine shakily pulled herself up to her feet. Had that been an _earthquake? _

Feeling worried for her family, Tasmine ignored the sparkly pink high-heels her mother had bought her and instead ran down the stairs in her bare feet. Her heart pounded in her chest as she leapt down the stairs two at a time. She stumbled on the bottom step, but pushed open the front door, only to be greeted by a terrible sight. Her breath caught in her throat as she stared at the now charred remains of some of her family members. She couldn't even tell who they were anymore. Tasmine edged around them, her mind a whirlwind of emotions. All she could really think about was finding her parents; they would know what to do.

A high pitched shriek pierced the air, and Tasmine's stomach dropped suddenly, she felt like she wanted to be sick, that scream belonged to her mother. Without really thinking about what she was doing, Tasmine found herself running towards the horrible sound. She ran around the back of the house, muttering a string of curse words in Spanish, before she finally saw her mother.

Felipa was crouched against the back fence of the house, her arm held above her face in a manner of self-defence. Her eyes locked onto Tasmine's, and her eyes widened in obvious shock and horror. Tasmine's gazed was fixed on the being in front of her mother, the huge robot, who was glaring down at her with a typical emotionless expression. It raised its arm cannon, and Tasmine's own eyes widened.

"No!" she cried, sprinting forward to try and save her mother, but she was grabbed from behind by two more robots. Her eyes filled with frustrated, angry tears, as her mother found time to blow her a kiss before the laser hit her, blasting her body back into the garden fence. Seeing this, Tasmine let out a loud scream filled with rage and pain. It almost sounded like a war-cry. Wrenching her arms out of the robots grip, already feeling bruises beginning to form where they had held her, Tasmine darted over to the store cupboard. She wrenched it open and pulled out the first potential weapon she could find, which happened to be a rake. Gripping it tightly in her hands, she turned to face her adversaries.

"Jou want a good fight _robotas?_" she snarled, her eyes flashing with a sudden hatred. "Jou gonna pay for killing my _mamá!" _She let out a loud scream of frustration and ran at the first robot, stabbing the robot straight through the chest with her rake. She was fighting based off of pure rage by this point, and adrenaline pumped through her veins, giving her an extra boost. As the robot fell, she used the metal edge of the rake to stab through its eye sensors, causing the light to suddenly fade from the eyes of the robot.

Tasmine dived out of the way as a laser shot past her, and just skimmed her side. She cringed as she saw a huge gash in the dress her mother had bought her, and was startled to see some blood seep from the wound.

"_Mierda_" she hissed, her arm clutching around the wound, which was starting to sting. She had left her weapon stuck in the destroyed metallic body of the first robot, and her eyes darted around frantically for something else to use. She cursed again as she saw there was nothing useful to be found and struggled to her feet, curling her hands into a fist, positioning herself in her favourite fighting stance. If she died, she would die with honour, trying to avenge her family. The group of three robots slowly emerged around the corner, advancing towards her slowly, and Tasmine had to fight back the urge to scream at the sight of them looming towards her.

She reached out and swung her fist at the robot closest to her, eyes widening and tearing up as she felt and heard her knuckles crack against the hard metal of the robots chest. She whimpered slightly, and glanced up a second too late, as a metal fist slammed into the side of her head, and she knew nothing more.

Tasmine felt a small moan escape her lips. Pain, aching…Where was her _mamá? _She would always look after her if Tasmine felt bad, and boy, did she feel bad.

Mamá…

Robots…

Tasmine's eyes snapped open suddenly, and she was very quickly aware that the whole world was upside down. She struggled slightly to escape, but found that her hands and feet were bound tightly. She glanced up, (or was it down? She couldn't be sure anymore) and saw that a rope was wrapped around her stomach, binding her arms to the side, and her feet were tied, so she was dangling awkwardly from a tree, like a grotesque human piñata. Pushing that disturbing thought to the back of her mind, she tried to think of a way to escape.

She hadn't been thinking long before she heard the sound of approaching robots again, and she braced herself for what was about to happen.

"Hah. Hah. Puny Huh-man." One of the robots stated in a mechanical voice, and Tasmine felt a thrill of fear rush through her body upon seeing another one of them was holding something similar to a baseball bat, only larger.

'_Oh dead god,' _Tasmine thought as she stared at the bat with pure terror in her eyes, her heart pounding frantically against her chest. _'I knew it; those estupido robots are going to use me as a piñata!' _

The robots seemed to sense her fear, because they moved forward towards her slightly, the one holding the bat raising it threateningly in the air. Tasmine held back a flinch and simply set her jaw in a determined manner.

"_Besa mi culo, puto." _She snapped, narrowing her eyes at the robot before her, before spitting at its feet. It stared at her blankly for a moment, and then Tasmine felt a sudden heavy blunt object smash into the side of her head suddenly. Her vision began to swim slightly from the force of the blow, and he had bit down on her lip hard in order to hold back the cry of pain. She wasn't going to give these _bastardos _the satisfaction of hearing her cry out in pain. Instead, she ignored the feeling of warm liquid running down her forehead and snarled viciously at the robot swinging the bat.

"Hit me again _bastardo!_" she snapped, her eyes alight with the same fire from earlier. "Hit me again if jou are not afraid!"

Another blow followed, this time to the stomach. Tasmine inhaled sharply, her eyes widening from the brute force of it. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she forced them back, grinding her teeth together.

"Is that all jou GOT?" she bellowed, her hands curved into tight fists. "Jou are not _robotas!_ Jou are _patético!" _

All three robots raised their fists, ready to deliver the final blow, and Tasmine closed her eyes tightly, preparing for it.

'_I'll be with jou soon mam__á, jou too papa. I hope jou are waiting for me.' _The young girl thought, bracing for the impending hit, only for it to not arrive. Instead, she heard something sounding suspiciously like zapper fire, and then, a voice, a HUMAN voice. Tasmine just wanted to break down at the sound of it, but held herself together.

"TOUCH THAT GIRL AGAIN YOU FUCKING BASTARDS AND YOU WON'T BE LAUGHING FOR LONG!" the voice had bellowed; a wild fury in the accent. Definitely American, though she wasn't sure where in America he was from. Blearily, Tasmine opened her eyes and blinked a few times, trying to clear her vision. Everything was blurred, and she could only make out a figure nearby, running at the robots with only a handgun. As her vision cleared, she inhaled sharply as she saw the man destroy one of the robots with a few shots of the gun and then he basically tore it apart, with his _. _

The rest of the fight went by in a blur for Tasmine. She kept her eyes locked on the stranger, trying to force her eyes to stay open. She was fighting a losing battle, for the next time she opened her eyes, the robots were all destroyed, and a pair of blue eyes, the colour of the ocean were staring into her own.

She inhaled sharply, having never seen blue eyes before, and immediately decided that shade was her new favourite colour. Her eyes roved to his face and she saw he must have been young, maybe in his twenties. He had mousey brown hair which had flecks of silver in it, a moustache was growing over his top lip, and she couldn't help but notice how _toned _he was. His muscles strained against his Starship Ranger uniform and-

Wait. Starship _RANGER? _

"Alright lil' lady." The stranger stated in that intriguing accent of his. "I'm going to get you down from there, don't you worry."

"Don't call me little." Tasmine said sharply, and he looked at her with a small grin. He shot at the rope, and immediately caught Tasmine in his arms before she could hit the floor. She gasped slightly; both from surprise and slight pain, and her eyes met his once again.

"Who are jou?" she demanded, and he raised an eyebrow at her sudden question but shrugged slightly, standing up straight with the small girl in his arms.

"I'm Lieutenant Up of the Starship Rangers." He stated coolly, and glanced down at her again. "How about you?"

Tasmine blinked slightly at the question and tried to keep her eyes open. She closed her eyes heavily, feeling the heavy fatigue of the day wearing her up, and spoke quietly, not managing to finish her sentence before she was lost in the world of dreams.

"I'm Tas-"

Up raised an eyebrow, looking at the tiny girl in his arms. She seemed so frail, so small, but he heard her telling the robots to carry on hitting her. She had taken every blow without even crying out, something most of the ensigns he knew could never do. He managed a small smile at the girl in his arms and began to carry her away from the carnage, away from the destruction.

"Sweet dreams Taz, dead god knows, you deserve 'em."


	3. Jealousy

TUP – Jealously

**A/N – I'm so glad this has such good reviews so far! I'm really enjoying writing this, it's the one story I actually have inspiration for at the minute. Hopefully this one will seem slightly more coherent than the last two. I wrote those with absolutely NO sleep, and this was written both when I was in that stage, and the ending was written after 14 hours of sleep XD Enjoy!**

He wasn't particularly sure why he had gotten so angry after he had seen that Junior kid take a hold of Taz's hand. Truth be told, the only thing he could really remember was seeing her smile at something he had said, and then watching with a sinking feeling in his stomach as Junior had intertwined their hands.

There wasn't a particularly good reason for him to be so…bitter about it. Sure there had been some pretty nasty rumours flying around about Junior and his…fondness for pot, but rumours could be just that. He just didn't understand what Taz SAW in him! Junior wasn't exactly the first person Up would have paired Taz with if he had had the choice. He would have chosen someone brave, someone who understood her, someone who would always keep a watchful eye on her whilst maintaining a distance to avoid her feeling smothered. Up stopped pacing throughout his room for a while and blanched.

Someone like him.

"Damnit." Up hissed, violently punching the wall. He dragged his hands down his face for a moment before heaving a heavy sigh. This was a big problem. Could he possibly be seeing Taz as more than a student? Sure, he had to admit, the little seventeen year old had quickly become his best friend since they had met on her fifteenth birthday, but could he honestly be seeing her that way?

"Absolutely not." Up said stiffly, after all, a relationship with a student was strictly forbidden according to G.L.E.E. Rules. Besides, he was only twenty-five, but he looked so much older, and Taz…Well she didn't look seventeen, she looked a hell of a lot younger than that.

There was only one situation for it really. This was the only reason Up had debated not accepting to be Taz's mentor. He never allowed himself to get close to anyone. It caused complications, and he already knew that if he lost Taz in a battle after she graduated, that he would not get over it. After keeping people at bay for so long, Taz had warmed his ice heart and had made him open up again. She was the only family he really had left. He needed to push her back before they both got hurt.

Three weeks had passed since Up had put his plan into action. He had distanced himself from Taz efficiently. He didn't acknowledge her in the halls any more, he refused to spar with her in the training room, and he hadn't spoken a word to her. He knew Taz was trying, and it was killing him inside to ignore her, but it just had to be done. He had become cold Commander Up again.

No-one started any more rumours.

He could concentrate on work.

Taz wasn't getting picked on for hanging around Up too much.

He could still maintain his reputation.

To be honest, those were the only positives Up could think of. As much as he hated to admit it, the negatives greatly outweighed the positives. Because, let's be honest, without Taz;

He had no-one to watch Karate Kid with.

He almost forgot what it was like to smile.

He missed that sarcastic Spanish accent calling him an '_Idiota' _every five minutes

He missed cuddling on the couch and her falling asleep on his shoulder.

He missed sparring with the only cadet who could actually floor him.

Dead-god-damn, he missed those EYES.

He just missed Taz.

Up groaned; leaning back on his bed, hoping sleep would hurry up and claim him. Instead, his thoughts stayed focused on his best friend, and he cursed under his breath, annoyed that she was still in his mind.

A light knock on the door disturbed him from his musings, and he sat up, raising an eyebrow slightly.

"Speak." He barked at the door, not bothering to get up out of bed. There was silence for a moment, until he heard a voice which made his heart hurt.

"Um...Up…" Taz said slowly, and he could tell she was upset from the fact that her voice was a little thicker than usual. "I don't know why jou're mad at me, But I- I just had a nightmare, and I wanted to make sure jou were alright."

Silence. Up's heart ached at the sound of a sniff, and then footsteps beginning to pad away from the door. Up was on his feet before he really had time to think about it, and walked through the door, wrapping his arms around the petite waist of his best friend. Immediately, she relaxed in his arms, and turned to face him, and Up felt sickened to see her eyes shining with unshed tears.

"M'sorry." He muttered, burying his face into her short ebony hair. "I'm not mad at you, honest."

Chocolate eyes met ocean accusingly, and Up rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, trying to find a way to steer the subject onto a different subject.

"Why come to me?" he asked finally, frowning at her. "Surely Junior's room is closer to yours than mine is, couldn't he have calmed you down?"

"_¿Qué?"_ Taz asked, raising her eyebrows. "Hunior? Why would I go to Hunior? Up, jou're my best friend, and jou're the only person here I trust."

"But," Up said slowly, looking genuinely confused. "You and Junior held hands that time, I thought you two were…"

Taz snorted loudly and rolled her eyes. "Me and _HUNIOR?_ Up, are jou _loco? _That time Hunior held my hand, I punched him for touching me. Jou must not have seen it." She became silent for a moment, and then her eyes narrowed. "Is that why you've been avoiding me? Up, were jou _Celoso?" _She paused for a moment. "I mean, _Jealous?" _

Up didn't reply for a moment as relief was washing over him, and he felt his shoulders sag slightly as the weight was lifted from them. He glanced down at Taz as her eyes narrowed accusingly at him, but he saw a slight sparkle of amusement and something else he couldn't place in them, and he smiled at her.

"Jealous? Aw, c'mon Taz! I just figured if you had a boyfriend you'd want more time to yourself, I was just keeping my distance!" he chuckled, and Taz rolled her eyes, elbowing him in the stomach.

"_Idiota" _she muttered, and Up's grin widened slightly. Dead God, he'd missed that. Casually moving an arm from around her waist, he placed it over her shoulders and looked down at her.

"Well I don't feel like sleeping much, do you?" he asked, and Taz shook her head, obviously thinking about her nightmare. "How about we watch the Karate Kid then?"

Taz's smile was the only answer he needed.

The end of the movie was approaching, and Up glanced down at Taz, only to see she had fallen asleep on his shoulder, her lips curved into a tiny smile. His arm was draped around her lightly, and he smiled down at her, feeling his heart swell up in his chest. Moving carefully as to not wake her up, he lightly lifted her from the couch and over to his bed, as he usually did when she fell asleep. He lightly placed her down and covered her up, then chuckled when she immediately curled up into a small ball.

Up turned around, glancing at the chaos that now was his room after Taz had entered it. The Karate Kid menu screen was flickering on the TV screen, bowls of various snacks lay on the floor and Up chuckled quietly. He'd clean that up tomorrow. He turned off the TV and climbed into bed next to Taz. Immediately, she rolled over and curled up next to him, trying to absorb his warmth. Still smiling, Up wrapped his arms around her small frame and pulled her close. He placed a soft kiss on top of her head and realized it didn't matter if he did have feelings for her or not. This, their friendship was so much more important.

And he wouldn't trade it for anything.


	4. Sacrifice

**A/N- Dead god, this took me longer than I had expected /: Anyway! Enjoy XD I'm going to a Halloween party. LATER! **

Taz had always known that Up had a soft spot for her. She assumed that it was because they were best friends, they were family. But that didn't make it any easier whenever He sacrificed something for her.

When they first met, Up sacrificed becoming a Commander to be her mentor. She remembered that clearly.

"_So Up, did they give jou that promotion jou wanted? Am I going to have to call jou 'sir' now?" Taz asked in a teasing manner, glancing up from her book as Up walked into the room. (She was staying in his quarters until they reached the academy.)He simply smiled at her and sat beside her on the bed casually. _

"_They offered me the Commander position, yeah." He nodded, and Taz's eyes widened before she grinned at him. _

"_That's great! Con-" She paused, her eyebrows furrowing as he held up a hand to silence her. _

"_I said they offered. I didn't say I accepted." _

_Taz's jaw fell open slightly and she seemed lost for words for a moment before she punched him in the shoulder, causing him to look at her with a raised eyebrow. _

"_Jou idiota!" she cried, looking at him in disbelief. "Why didn't jou take it? Jou've wanted to be a Commander for a long time!" _

_Up shrugged slightly and ruffled her hair, causing her to scowl at him, letting him know she wasn't going to let him off the hook so easily. _

"_They told me if I was a commander, I couldn't be your mentor at the academy." Up informed her, and waited warily for her response. It surprised him. She dropped the book on the bed and threw her arms around him, burying her head into his chest. Hesitantly, Up lightly patted her on the back, feeling slightly awkward but pleased. _

"_Jou shouldn't have done that." Taz said quietly, her voice muffled. "Thank jou, Up." _

"_You're worth it Taz, I just know you're gonna be the toughest son-of-a-bitch at the academy, so If I have to wait a little bit longer to be a Commander to make sure you actually get a chance to study at the academy, it's fine with me." _

**_BreakBreakBreak_**

The second time, Taz had been afraid that she had lost him forever. It was during the robot wars, when Up received his famous injury. That moment was also pressed into her memory, but she hated thinking about it.

_Their backs were pressed together, they were fighting the robots together, as a last stand. The rest of their team had been murdered by the robots as they fought, and Taz and Up both knew that it would take a while before back-up would arrive to help it. It would take too long. They were going to fight together, til the end. _

_Taz felt strangely calm as she faced her death, the only reason she felt like this because she was with Up, and she knew the two of them would kill as many __estúpido robots as they could before they were wiped out. She felt the pressure of Up's back leave hers, and knew he was moving forward to concentrate on the closer sentinels. Her heart pounding against her chest with adrenaline, Taz leapt forward and began to fire rapidly, her eyes alight with fury. _

_As more robots fell and she dodged more canon-fire, she thought about the people she had lost because of the robots, of all the people who had died. Avenging all of them gave her the drive to move forward, to let out her battle-cry which would often terrify not only her opponents, but the team she was assigned to. Taz dive-rolled to the left suddenly as a laser narrowly missed her and cursed, letting her guard down for a split-second. _

_Her breath left her as she was picked up suddenly, hanging upside down as one of the Autobots held her by her legs, crushing them in its grip, another one pointing its arm canon at her. She bit back a scream of agonizing pain as she felt the bones in her legs snapping as the robot tightened its hold. Her vision swam for a moment and darkness threatened to close in due to the pain, but she pushed it back, her mind being transported back to her quinceañera, but this time there was no escape. _

"_TAZ!" _

_She heard the voice call out, and her eyes opened up wide, looking down at Up, who had seen her, and had immediately dropped what he had been doing in order to run and help her. She tried helplessly to push away the autobots hand, but it simply held her up higher, in line for the canon-fire. _

'_Up, Jou idiota' she thought desperately, the pain distorting everything, including her own thoughts. 'Don't help me, focus!' She tried to speak the words, but she couldn't seem to get them out. Throughout the blurred haze, she noticed that Up had left his back wide open, and tentacles had shot out behind him, reaching for him. _

"_UP!" She managed to scream, her voice laced with terror, pain and fear. Up looked up at her, his expression panicked, obviously thinking she was calling for help, but she couldn't get out another word as the tentacles picked him up, wrapping around his wrists and ankles firmly, lifting him up into the air, spread-eagle. She felt angry tears pool into her eyes, but fought them back, tears were making everything blurry._

_Instead, she watched with a mounting horror as Optimus Prime turned to Up and felt something inside of her twist when the robots chest opened, and she saw the buzz-saw. She started to twist and writhe in the Autobots' grip, still unable to find her voice to scream and lash out as she would usually do. Her eyes locked onto Up's Ocean Blue ones, and a tiny cry broke through her lips. Then Optimus Prime fired the shot, and Taz screamed at the top of her lungs until she lost consciousness. _

**_LineBreakLineBreak_**

The third time, the most recent, she felt she definitely didn't deserve it. Up should have just left her there to die. It was the time Starship 15-A2 had been invaded by those damn bugs, and she had gone ahead to distract the bugs, leaving Up behind.

"_Follow me, you stupid bugs!" Taz bellowed, gripping her gun tightly in her hands. She spun around to face the opposite direction, her eyes blazing with anger. She couldn't BELIEVE Up, preferring to let that stupid science officer cry on his shoulder rather than get into the fight. "__Sígueme! Sígueme!" Sure, she might have been a LITTLE harsh, saying he couldn't be trusted, but he couldn't! Dead God knows; he could just abandon them mid-fight in terror or something. "FOLLOW THE LEADER!" _

_Taz cringed as she felt something stab into the small of her back, and she staggered forward slightly, a small cry escaping her lips before she could stop it. Grinding her teeth together, she turned slightly to try and see what had stabbed her. _

"_What the-?" she muttered, seeing a long body belonging to one of those giant mosquito freaks, Taz grimaced and reached out her gun, intending to shoot the bastardo, when she felt another sharp stabbing pain in the other side of her back. Her eyes widened slightly and she stumbled forwards, her vision becoming blurry. Before she could stop it, her gun tumbled out of her hand and landed on the ground beside her, and she stifled another cry as a third pain struck her in the middle of her back. _

_Taz's eyes began to close against her will as she felt the mosquito's begin to feed on her, but a voice pulled her back into consciousness, a voice she didn't expect to hear. _

"_Taz! Oh Taz!" _

'_No, not Up...' Taz thought desperately. The last thing she wanted was for Up to see her this weak, she needed to be strong here, for both of them. Taz tried to push herself up but cringed as the pain only increased. _

"_Get off her you damn bugs!" Up's voice bellowed, and there was no fear, only anger, and fury. _

'_Get up,' a voice in her head tried to urge. 'It's Up, jour Up, he's back!' Taz exhaled sharply as she felt some of the pressure leave her body. The other two soon followed, and Taz managed to slowly open her eyes to survey the scene, which was spinning slightly. Up was stood with his back to her, facing the mosquitos, who seemed to have a nasty look in their eyes as they hovered. _

"_You want blood?" Up asked in a low growl, and Taz could only stare, wide-eyed as he began to unbutton his vest. "Then take it!" Was this the same Up she had dealt with for the last two years? He was acting almost as if the accident had never happened. Her breath caught in her throat again as Up bellowed at the insects. "Come on! I said take some!" _

_She opened her mouth to cry out as the first Mosquito pierced Up's skin, but no sound seemed to come out of her mouth. Up simply let out a small grunt and glared at the remaining two. _

"_Is that all you got?" he snarled, but Taz could see his body shaking slightly. She wanted to scream, pick up her gun and shoot the bastardos before they killed him, but she couldn't seem to move her body. "I said, DO IT!" _

_Taz was almost certain tears were pooling in her eyes as the second Mosquito flew behind up and pierced his lower back. Up flinched and let out another grunt, and Taz shut her eyes tightly. 'Don't do this for me Up, I don't deserve it, I don't deserve you, I'm a terrible friend Up…Please…Escape now…' she thought miserably, but couldn't seem to get the words to form on her lips. _

"_Come on Big Guy! It's all you can eat!" Up bellowed, and Taz forced her eyes open, The last Mosquito had struck up, and his legs were visibly shaking from the effort. Taz forced herself up onto her knees and watched with wide eyes as Up slowly began to sink to the floor with a muttered; "You…damn…bugs…"_

"_No…" Taz whispered, her voice breaking. Up made some effort to stay on his feet but his legs gave way, and he collapsed onto the floor. "NO!" Taz cried, her eyes filling up with tears. Damn it! Why! "Damn you!" she managed to choke out, pointing her finger at Up's prone body. "Damn you, you damn fool! Damn you, and your big. Damn. Heart!" her voice broke again at the last words, and she covered her eyes, trying to force back the tears. Why was he still willing to sacrifice anything to save her? She'd been so cruel, so awful to him, she didn't deserve his friendship, and now, it was too late to apologize. A single, lone tear escaped her eye, try as she might to fight it back, and a sudden cough caught her attention. She glanced up quickly, her eyes widening. _

"_You want blood?" Up asked weakly, and slowly struggled onto his knees. How was he doing this? HOW? "Then take it." He said coldly, and her eyes widened as he pulled out one of the Mosquitos proboscis and then shoved it straight into where his heart was, and pulled himself up onto his feet. "Take. It. ALL!" He bellowed, raising his arms high, and Taz barely had time to cover her face as all of the mosquitoes exploded. Her heart pounding, Taz could only stare at Up as he bent over, breathing heavily. _

_Slowly, Taz pulled herself onto her feet, too stunned to speak. Up had done all of that…to protect her. She could only stare at him, hunched over, letting out a small moan of pain that she could barely hear. After a while, Taz worked up the courage to speak, and hesitantly, pointing at the remains of the mosquitos managed to say;_

"_U-Up…H-How did jou…" _

"_Make them violently explode?" Up asked calmly, and Taz noticed he refused to look at her, but she couldn't speak again, so she simply nodded, keeping her eyes locked on him. He began to reclip his vest together as he spoke again. "I raised my heartbeat, using breathing exercises." He glanced up at her, and Taz could only nod once again, fighting back a smile at the light that shone in Up's eyes. It was the light she hadn't seen since the accident, and she could feel her heart lifting inside of her chest. "Their puny bodies mustn't have been able to handle all my blood…" he glanced around at the remains of the bugs for a minute before looking at her again. "Bug was right! I needed to learn how to kill…with my heart!"_

_Taz threw her head back and held in a laugh at his words and the tone of his voice. She had no idea what he was talking about, but she hadn't heard him get this excited over something in a long time. There was a fire in his eyes, something she had never thought she'd see again._

"_I killed them all Taz!" he was shouting now, and their eyes locked again, the fire was still there, along with something else, something she couldn't quite place. "I killed them all! I'm still a killer! Oh, I'm still a killer!" _

_Something broke inside Taz at this point, and before she knew what she was doing, she had run forward and jumped up, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck after shouting "THAT'S GREAT!". _

_His arms wound tightly around her waist, and she revelled in the moment, trying to remember the last time they had embraced like that. They pulled away and stared into each other's eyes for a moment, and Taz couldn't remember that last time she had smiled so much either. _

**_BreakBreakBreak_**

Up had made so many sacrifices for Taz, and that scared her sometimes, he made her worry, broke her down, but at the end of everything, it was one of the reasons she loved him so much.


	5. Drunk

**A/N - Here we are again! More Tup sweetness and randomness... So yep. Enjoy XD **

Up had quickly learned in the short time he had known Taz that letting her get drunk was a bad idea. She would often get drunk when she was in a particularly bad mood, and it would change her completely, Up had known alcohol could change a person, but seeing Taz flirt drunkenly with some guy at the bar the last time they had went down there together made his blood boil. When the ensign had made a pass at her, Up had firmly gripped Taz around the waist and had steered her out of the room and back up to her own.

Nowadays, that was the only reason he went down to the bar was to make sure Taz didn't do something she'd regret the next day. He knew the small girl well; the last thing she would want to wake up to was a one-night stand, especially a drunken one-night stand.

Earlier that afternoon, Taz had a run-in with some of her old rivals which had left her fuming, and she had informed Up she was going for a drink. Already tired and frustrated from fruitless efforts to try and locate some of the robots Phason deposits, Up had snapped something at her. He couldn't really remember what he had said, probably something about her drinking habits in general, either way, it offended her, and she had stormed out of the gym, and he hadn't seen her since.

Up exhaled slowly, sitting down heavily on his couch. He hated arguing with Taz, and now he couldn't stop thinking about what she was doing, and if she was alright. Dear dead-God, that girl was going to drive him insane one day. He stayed seated for a moment, contemplating his choices, and eventually sighed. He shouldn't have snapped at her. He pushed himself onto his feet, resolving himself to go down to the bar to make sure she didn't do anything stupid. He grimaced slightly and opened his door, only for a small Spanish girl to fall in on him suddenly. Eyes widening, he wrapped his arms around her and held her upwards.

"Jesus Taz…" Up frowned, moving his hands to her shoulders and pushing her back slightly. Her chocolate brown eyes opened blearily and she smiled slightly when she saw him. She lightly shook his hands from her shoulder and tried to take a step backwards but almost fell. Up reached out to catch her, but she narrowed her eyes and stood up tall. Up sighed and stared at her for a moment. "What are you doing here?" he asked finally.

"Jou weren't in the bar." Taz informed him, and Up noticed the slur in her tone, and he sighed heavily, rubbing his temples. He didn't say a word, simply wrapped an arm around Taz, bringing her into his room. As soon as the door shut behind him, he felt Taz grip onto his shirt tightly and raised an eyebrow. He glanced down at her questioningly, and before he really had time to react, Taz had pulled him down to her level and kissed him fiercely.

Up's eyes widened immediately as his senses flew into over-drive from the kiss. Taz's lips were soft and warm and tasted lightly of tequila, and her grip on his shirt was tight, showing no sign of letting go anytime soon. Instinctively, Up tightened his grip around her waist before he realised what he was doing.

_This is wrong. _He thought suddenly, and released his hold of her, reaching up to cup her cheeks with his hands. He pulled away from her, and her chocolate brown eyes were suddenly burning into his own intensely. He swallowed convulsively, but forced himself to hold her gaze.

"We can't." Up told her quietly, and the fire in her eyes began to rage even more furiously. She let go of his shirt and turned to walk towards the door, but stumbled on the way, and Up's arms were around her immediately, holding her tightly. "You can't go off on your own Taz," he sighed, and she stiffened in his arms. "Not when you're like this." He paused for a moment and then sighed again. "Go and get some of my clothes, you can sleep here tonight."

Without saying another word to him, Taz pushed his hands away and stumbled towards the wardrobe, managing to not fall on her way there. He glanced up at her and felt his face flush furiously as she was lifting up her shirt to put one of his on. Turning around quickly, he mumbled some brief excuse and pushed through to the small kitchen adjourning his room, feeling like he could use a hot drink.

Up waited silently for the water to boil, impatiently tapping his foot against the linoleum floor. He froze when he heard two bangs coming from his room, and quickly stuck his head around the door to see what had happened. Alarm bells began to ring when he couldn't see Taz anywhere, and he walked into the room, edging around the bed. His eyes widened slightly when he saw Taz lay on the ground, facing away from him. Immediately, he was by her side, carefully pulling her up into his arms. Her chest was rising and falling normally, and he breathed a sigh of relief. He raised an eyebrow slightly when he saw a small red mark on her forehead and lightly brushed over it with his thumb, furrowing his eyebrows together. Up glanced up at the wardrobe and then back down at Taz's sleeping form and raised an eyebrow.

"You're gonna be the death of me one day Taz Lopez." Up muttered, but he was smiling slightly. He could still feel her lips on his, and could still taste the hint of tequila. He glanced down at her lips for a moment, before shaking his head and standing up, carefully lifting her in his arms. He glanced down at her clothes and chuckled when he saw she was wearing one of his older shirts and a pair of his boxer-shorts. The shirt was huge and dwarfed her already small body, and it reminded him of just how young she really was.

Carefully, Up laid Taz down in his bed and absently brushed a strand of her short hair from her eyes, allowing his hand to linger on her cheek for a few seconds longer than necessary. He sighed quietly and kissed her forehead gently before standing up straight.

He really needed that hot drink.


	6. Fever

Taz never missed training. She was never late either, in fact she was always the first one to arrive and she'd often join Up for a quick spar before the other ensign's arrived, so it surprised him when she hadn't arrived even as the last member of the squadron had fallen in. He narrowed his eyes slightly as he paced in front of the group, and then pointed at one of the ensigns.

"Ensign Williams!" he barked, and immediately, the boys' eyes widened, and he saluted, his back straightening immediately.

"Yes, sir?" he asked stiffly, keeping his eyes focused on the wall behind Up.

"Have you seen anything of Ensign Taz?" he demanded, and Williams' eyes darted to Up's face for a split-second before they once again averted in fear.

"No sir." Williams stammered, and Up scowled slightly, though inside he was worried. Mentally he ran through a list of important days he could have possibly missed. It definitely wasn't her birthday, and as far as he could remember it wasn't either of her parents' birthdays either.

"Permission to speak, sir?" an ensign, one of the few girls other than Taz, asked, staring straight ahead, also looking nervous.

"Permission granted." Up replied, striding forward so he was stood in front of her. The Ensign glanced up at him and clasped her hands behind her back.

"Taz is ill, sir. At least, that's what we think. You see, she had promised to wait for me this morning, but when I knocked on her door, she answered like she had just gotten out of bed, and she looked terrible. She couldn't even see me properly. I told her to go to the medical bay, but well…" she hesitated and bit her lip.

"Taz said no." Up finished, looking slightly troubled by this, before he covered it with his usual mask. "Thank you for letting me know ensign. At ease." He glanced around at the group and narrowed his eyes. "Now I am going to drag Ensign Taz down to the medical-bay. She's no good to any of us in that state, but while I'm gone, I want ALL of you working double-time, and If I come back and see that you little pussies haven't even broken a sweat, you're going to regret it. GOT IT?" he bellowed, and immediately the group stood to attention, eyes wide. "Then get to it!" he snarled, and the group immediately scattered to get to work.

Up swiftly walked towards the door and walked out of the gym, letting his stony expression fade as soon as he was far away enough from the ensigns. He picked up his pace and immediately headed towards the Ensign's quarters with a muttered "Damnit Taz…"

Upon reaching her door, Up knocked three times and waited for a moment. Usually Taz would shout obscenely at her closed door and then Up would casually let himself in, whilst ducking the projectile Taz would throw in his direction, but today, there was silence. Up paused for a moment before doing what he would usually do. He let himself in, and froze at the sight before him.

Taz was lay on top of her bed, her body wracking with shivers. She was wearing nothing but pair of pyjama shorts and a tank top, and her skin was flushed. Up could already see that the sheets she was lying on were soaked in sweat, and her hands were gripping the mattress, an expression that seemed like pain on her face.

Up wasn't really sure what to do in this kind of situation. He'd never really stayed at the bedside of someone who was sick before, he usually just sent them packing to the medical bay and let the nurses deal with them. But this was different, this was _Taz. _He moved over to her bedside and placed a hand on her forehead gently and his eyes widened at the heat.

"Well, Shit." Up muttered, trying to think back. There were different ways to treat a fever, right? Up turned and hurried into the bathroom. He turned on the cold water and held a washcloth underneath the running water. He squeezed out most of the excess water and then returned to Taz, gently lying the cloth on her forehead to try and help cool the fever down. Her eyelids flickered slightly as the feeling of his cool hands on her flushed skin, and he bit his lip slightly and went back into the bathroom to get a glass of cold water.

"Up..What are jou doing here…?" Up walked out of the bathroom and frowned to see that Taz was holding the washcloth to her forehead but had sat up, her eyes unfocused. Slowly, tiredly, she pulled herself up onto her feet and glanced at her clock, her eyes widening slightly. "_Mierda! _I'm late…Sorry Up."

Up scowled slightly and sat on the edge of the bed, then reached out and pulled her down onto his lap. She looked up at him tiredly and opened her mouth to protest, but he pressed the rim of the glass to her lips lightly.

"Drink." He said quietly, but refused to break eye-contact. He tilted the glass slightly to help her, and Taz reluctantly drank the cool liquid, though he could see the disdain in her eyes as she shakily took the cup to help herself drink. "Jesus Taz, how long have you been feeling this bad? You could've fought the fever off sooner if you'd told someone." He lightly took the wash cloth from her and began to dab it around her face, neck and chest, not waiting for an answer. "And don't even think about doing anything today. You need to rest, or you won't get better."

Taz frowned at him and her hands closed into fists, but he could see she didn't have much strength in her to fight with him. Up continued to lightly press the cool washcloth against her hot skin, and Taz closed her eyes, obviously enjoying the relief it was causing. Struck by a sudden inspiration, Up took his free hand and awkwardly began to massage her neck and shoulders. He was pretty sure that he'd read somewhere that this could help, so he was really just doing everything he could to try and make Taz as comfortable as possible.

Taz's shoulders slumped slightly as she felt the tension begin to leave her muscles, and she finished the rest of the water, leaning back in Up's arms.

"I didn't tell anyone, because it wasn't a big deal," Taz said quietly, and Up raised an eyebrow. She seemed to sense his disbelief, as she sighed heavily but didn't say anymore. Instead, she closed her eyes and allowed her head to slump against Up's chest. "_Gracias _Up." She said quietly. "But if jou tell anyone about this…"

Up smirked slightly, continuing to rub down Taz's shoulders and neck with one hand and continuing to cool her skin down using the other. "Yeah, because I'm going to spread this around."

Taz's lips quirked up into a small smirk. "_Si. _Nurse Up." She said quietly, and Up shook his head.

"Watch it." He stated in a warning tone, but he was smiling. The two of them were silent for a few moments, and Up realized Taz had fallen asleep against his chest. Moving carefully, he shifted her from his arms and back onto the bed, moving the washcloth back up to her forehead. "Hang on tight for an hour." He said quietly, but he knew she'd be okay now. She was a tough son-of-a-bitch after all.

Up spared one more glance at her sleeping form before turning and walking out of her room, his expression immediately becoming stony and emotionless. He was Lieutenant-Commander Up again, and he was going to check on those Ensigns and make sure they had done EXACTLY what he told them to. There would be hell to pay otherwise.


	7. Dancing

"There is NO way I am going to wear that. Jou are _LOCO _for even thinking that."

"Aww, C'mon Tazzie! You can't miss the party, you're one of the people it's being thrown for after all! You kinda, sorta, HAVE to make an appearance. U-Um…What are you doing with that knife Tazzie?"

"Call me Tazzie one more time and jou'll find out, _perra."_

Taz was fuming, to put it lightly. They had arrived back at the Galactic League, where Up had informed his own superiors about Dr. Space Claw's evil plans for the G.L.E.E, and after a sufficient investigation, the truth had been revealed, and the crew of the Starship 15-A2 had breathed a sigh of relief that their mission was finally over.

Well, almost over, anyway. The G.L.E.E had decided that in honour of the heroes who had saved them from Dr. Space Claw's experiments, an award ceremony would be held, followed by Bug's official initiation into the Starship Rangers. And then, as if that wasn't enough, they were throwing a _BALL. _A formal ball, with formal clothing, which meant Taz had to wear a dress, something she wasn't too particularly keen on.

February had started squealing the minute she had heard, and Taz had simply stared at her in disbelief as the blonde girl had chatted excitedly to her for fifteen minutes about what shade of makeup she should wear. She didn't understand the appeal; getting dolled up for a pointless party just reminded her of the last party she went to, and that particular party was one she hated thinking about. As February continued to chat excitedly about makeup shades, Taz found herself losing focus. She kept her gaze on February but allowed her mind to wander about more interesting topics, and only snapped back into reality when February had stated a particular phrase in a very excited manner.

"And this means that you and Specs get to come to my room and I can help you get ready!"

That was how Taz found herself tied to a chair in February's room, glaring at the blonde as she advanced towards her with some hair extensions. Specs was watching from the corner, looking extremely amused, and Taz glared at her. Traitor.

"February." Taz snarled, and the intensity of her glare caused the blonde girl to hesitate for a moment. "I swear, when I get out of this, I will kill jou."

February smiled at her innocently and pulled off her headband, dropping it onto the bed. She then moved around to the back of Taz and began to play with her hair, trying to figure out what she could do to help. Taz heaved a sigh and her shoulders slumped slightly. This was going to take a while.

A whole hour and a half later, and a lot of fuss having been kicked up, Taz was finally ready, and February was practically bouncing up and down on her feet in excitement as she prepared herself to present Taz to Specs, who was waiting expectantly. Giggling to herself, February pushed open the door to her bathroom, and Spec's eyes widened at the sight of her lieutenant stood in the doorway.

"Lieutenant?" she asked in disbelief, raising an eyebrow, and Taz scowled, wrapping her arms around her body as if to hide the dress she had been forced into. It was a dark scarlet red colour and was silky in design. The straps were slightly thin from the front, but as they crossed her shoulders they became thick, and crossed over her back, leaving the skin underneath visible to her hips. The dress fell down to her ankles and trailed out behind her slightly, and Taz personally felt this would only be a hindrance. From the front, the dress hugged the curves Taz wasn't even aware that she had, and a long slit ran up along her left leg. The extensions February had forced onto her head had been lovingly curled and styled, so soft ringlets cascaded down to her shoulders. Her lips had a soft hint of rouge on them, and February had tried to accentuate her eyes by using a mascara which extended her eyelashes, along with a hint of shimmer along the eyelid.

"I know." Taz said shortly, grimacing. "I look _ridículo." _

"On the contrary, Lieutenant!" Specs smiled, shaking her head. "You look absolutely incredible! I can hardly believe it's you. You're certainly going to turn heads tonight."

"I'm going to be breaking necks too." Taz muttered, scowling. "Mainly my own, in these _estúpido _things." She glared down at the 3 inch, scarlet red heels she had been forced into with an expression of disgust evident on her face.

"Well." February stated in a very smug voice, placing her hands on her hips. "We all know there's one particular person who she WANTS to look at her tonight." She giggled slightly when Taz glared at her.

"What are jou talking about Febru-air-ee?" Taz demanded, folding her arms over her chest, and February laughed happily, beginning to style her own hair whilst looking in the mirror. "Well?" Taz snapped, beginning to get impatient.

"Up, of course!" February chirped, and smiled as she saw Taz's cheeks heat up in embarrassment. The darker skinned girl shook her head quickly, and then set her jaw, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"I have no idea what jou're talking about." Taz said nonchalantly, and February simply shook her head, sighing softly.

"And people say I'M dense!" she pouted, and stood up, dusting her dress off. It was a deep royal purple colour and ran to the floor. It was strapless, with a darker purple sash tied around the waist, with a flower made from the same material pinned onto it. February picked up her purple shawl and draped it over her shoulders with a smile. She had straightened her hair out, and a simple purple flower tucked behind her ear completed the look. She glanced over at Specs and sighed. "Oh Specs…You look fantastic and all, I mean, of course you do, It's my handiwork, but you really need to take those glasses off!"

Specs froze slightly, having been put on the spot. She had reluctantly allowed February to attempt to tame her hair, and February had settled for piling it up into a neat little bun. She hadn't wanted anything extravagant, and February had agreed, (Something Taz was bitter about, she didn't even want to wear a stupid dress, but hers was ridiculously extravagant!) and so Specs was in a simple back, strapless dress, which also had a sash around the waist, but her dress flared out more than February's, and she had somehow convinced the blonde to allow her to wear flat shoes instead of heels.

"Ah…" Specs muttered, and then gave February a nervous smile. Taz felt her pain. She heaved another sigh and fiddled with the dog tags around her neck, which she insisted on keeping. Boredly, she decided to watch the argument and see how it turned out.

"Jeez man, girls sure take a long time to get ready!" Krayonder moaned, awkwardly fiddling with his tie. Up hid a smile and simply continued to watch the group. It was himself, Bug and Krayonder who were now waiting for the girls to come out of February's room to join them. Tootsie and Megagirl had gone on ahead.

"Do human girls usually take this long to get ready?" Bug asked Up uncertainly, who chuckled in response.

"A lot of 'em do." He replied, folding his arms over his chest. "Taz and Specs don't usually take this long, but I imagine February's working her magic on 'em."

Almost as if sensing the boys' frustration, February's door opened up, and Up smiled at the two girls who walked out. He could sense that his two companions were absolutely gobsmacked by their partners, but really, Up was wondering where Taz was. She wasn't at the door.

"Tazzie!" February called out, a small giggle escaping her lips. "I told you, you can't stay in there all day!"

A low moan was the response, and slowly, Taz walked out of the room. Up suddenly didn't know where to look. His eyes widened at the sight before him, and he wasn't entirely sure what he was seeing. Taz's eyes darted over to his, and they stared at each other for a moment before breaking their gaze, both of them fighting back a blush.

"You look great." Up told her gruffly, and Taz managed a small smile at him, but froze at his next words. "But you always do." He raised an eyebrow at her and winked, holding out his arm. She rolled her eyes and smirked at him before taking the offered arm, the smirk soon fading into a small smile. Feeling much more confident about wearing a dress, Taz allowed Up to lead her down to the award ceremony, and February followed close behind, a smug smile on her face.

The Award ceremony had passed without much fuss, and the team were delighted when Bug was appointed an official Starship Ranger and was permitted to join their team. Now it was the dance, and as soon as she had stepped into the dance hall, Taz had sat down and refused to move an inch. Up sat with her the entire time, mainly because he wanted to keep her company, but also because there was nobody else he wanted to dance with.

Taz was lightly playing with one of her curls whilst watching the dancers. Her eyes flicked to each couple as they slow-danced, and the scowl on her face became more prominent as time went on. Up glanced at her and smiled slightly, scratching the back of his neck.

"You know…" he stated slowly. "It's almost time for the last dance, and you've been sat here glaring at the dance floor all night." As if proving his point, Taz shifted her glare onto him, and he chuckled slightly. "Are you willing to spare me a dance?" he asked quietly, becoming serious, and her eyes widened slightly.

"A dance?" Taz asked slowly, staring at him in disbelief. He simply smiled at her and nodded, standing up and holding a hand out towards her. Slowly, hesitantly, Taz reached out her hand and allowed Up to pull her onto her feet, and he could tell she was unsure if she was going to regret this. Up led her to the dance floor and then turned to her as the last song of the night began to play.

Up moved closer to her, taking one of her smaller hands in his own and placing the other on the small of her back. Taz shivered slightly at the feel of his hand on her skin and slowly placed a hand onto his shoulder. Their eyes met as they began to sway together, and suddenly, nothing else existed.

Up couldn't keep his eyes off of her. She was beautiful in every way, shape and form. He had always known that, he had been in love with her for years. Their brief separation after his injury had killed him inside, and he could still remember the feeling of Taz's arms wrapping around him in a hug on the Starship after he had saved her from the bugs. Yes, Taz was always beautiful, she could be in the heat of battle, or she could have just woken up, or just gotten out of a training session, but she was still beautiful. But there was just something about her tonight…It wasn't the dress, or the hair or the make-up…It was her eyes. There was a glow in her eyes that he hadn't seen before, and it made his heart swell as he looked into them.

Taz lightly shifted her fingers to fit in-between Up's as they danced, and couldn't tear her eyes away from his own. She had been falling in love with her best friend and mentor for a long time now, but she had tried so hard to push it aside. Emotions made you weak, they left you vulnerable. She had found it easier to distance herself from him after the accident, as he had changed. She tried to fool herself that she felt nothing for him, but when he had saved her life once again, she couldn't deny it. She was in love with Commander Up.

Slowly, Taz untangled her fingers from his and lightly slid her hands around his neck. He smiled down at her warmly and moved both of his hands to her lower back, and she bit her lip slightly at the touch. Her instinctively pulled her closer, their noses almost touching. The music was slowing to a stop now, but Taz and Up continued to sway, having eyes only for each other. Slowly, hesitantly, Up trailed a hand up from her lower back to rest on her cheek. His thumb grazed her skin lightly, and she leaned into the touch.

Lost in the moment, Up stared into her chocolate brown eyes for only a minute more before he lowered his head and caught her lips with his own. Taz gripped onto his shoulders slightly and responded to the kiss, slowly trailing a hand up into his hair, where she tangled her fingers. Slowly, almost painfully, the two of them separated, cheeks flushed and eyes wide. Almost immediately the sounds of cheers and wolf-whistles caught their attention, and they looked around, startled, only to see that everybody in the room had stopped to watch them and were now clapping and cheering for them.

Taz's cheeks flushed red in embarrassment, and she glared around at everyone in the room ferociously, whilst Up simply laughed, winding his arm around her waist. Taz scowled slightly and leaned into him, and her eyes caught February, who was grinning so wide, her face looked like it was about to crack. Taz immediately looked away, but it was taking all of her energy to keep her stony expression intact, and to not grin back.


	8. Promise

**A/N- Dead God, I can't seem to stop updating this. I have so many ideas and plans haha. I AM currently working on my next chapter of LatM read the goblet of fire though, for those who do read my Harry Potter series, so that will be up in the next couple of days too. Enjoy!**

Tasmine allowed a small moan to escape her lips as the world came into focus again. Slowly, she sat up, her entire body feeling heavy and sluggish. All around her she could see plain white walls, and several rows of beds. Tasmine frowned slightly and glanced down at her body. She was in a plain blue hospital gown and from what she could pick up, she had been injured somehow, as she had bandages wrapped around her ankles, her face felt swollen, and not to mention her ribs felt like someone had jumped on them.

Shakily, Tasmine swung her legs over the side and pressed her bare feet to the cold linoleum floor. She pressed her lips together as she pushed herself up onto a standing position, she had to find her family and find out what was going on here. Was she in the hospital? Why?

"You know, the nurses won't be happy to see you out of bed." A voice stated casually from the doorway, and Tasmine turned, surprised. A young man was leaning against the doorframe, watching her intently. Tasmine could tell she had seen him somewhere before, but she couldn't really remember where.

"It doesn't matter _señor." _Tasmine stated quietly, though her ribs were screaming at her to sit down and rest. "I need to find _mis padres._" She began to walk, taking a deep breath as the pain in her ribs increased. The man shook his head and stood in front of her, folding his arms.

"Sit down." He said quietly, but there was a command in his voice she found she couldn't disobey, so she sat on the edge of the bed slowly, frowning slightly. "You don't remember anything, do you?"

Slowly, Tasmine shook her head. Something was coming back to her. Her _Quinceañera_… That _estúpido _dress her _mamá _picked out for her.

"I'm Lieutenant Up of the Starship Rangers." The man explained quietly. "Your neighbourhood… It became subject to a series of robot attacks." He looked at her, and she stared at him, wide-eyed. There was no emotion on his face, but his ocean blue eyes were filled with sympathy.

_Ocean blue eyes stared into her own, she had just seen him take down three robots with a zapper gun and his bare hands…_

"You were the only survivor."

_Bodies lay scattered on the floor, unrecognizable, charred beyond belief…Her mother, screaming- death everywhere. _

"I brought you here, to the Starship, to tend your wounds."

_Being strung up onto the tree, screaming at the robots to hit her harder, wanting to die._

"I'm sorry."

Tasmine stared at him silently as the events of the day caught up to her. Before she could stop herself, hot tears began to build up behind her eyes as the robot killing her mother replayed over and over in her head. She should have done something, she should have stopped them. The tears fell out of her eyes and began to rapidly increase in number. She covered her face so Up wouldn't see, and her shoulders shook with silent sobs.

She felt him sit on the bed next to her, and immediately let out a soft whimper, which she tried to stifle as she felt him run his hand over her back soothingly.

"Stop crying."

Tasmine looked up at him, hardly able to see him as the tears had blurred her vision so much. He was looking at her intently from what she could tell, and shakily, the young girl ran her hands across her eyes and swallowed, fighting back the rest of the tears which were trying to escape. Her _mamá _wouldn't have wanted her to be crying, nor her _papa; _they would have wanted her to stay sniffed slightly and looked down at the ground, but froze as she felt Up take a hold of her chin. He tilted her head up to look at him and he gave her a tiny, reassuring smile, and she felt her stomach do a strange flip.

"You know Taz, I was impressed by you today." Up told her quietly. "Not many people could take the hits those robots were delivering to you. You're a pretty tough son-of-a-bitch. You know that?"

Tasmine blinked at him, her mind mainly focused on what he had called her. _'Taz?' _she thought in confusion, and suddenly, realization dawned on her. He had asked her name, and she had started to tell him, but she mustn't have finished. Taz…actually sounded pretty cool. Suddenly, everything else Up had said to her caught up in her mind, and she flushed slightly, shrugging her shoulders.

"It was nothing." She muttered, embarrassed, and Up grinned at her, ruffling her hair slightly, causing her to frown at him, but she couldn't help the tiny smile that quirked at her lips.

"How old are you Taz?" Up asked suddenly, and Taz glanced up at him in surprise.

"_Tengo quince años" _Taz replied immediately, and hid a smile at Up's confused expression. "I am fifteen. Today was my _Quinceañera." _

"Fifteen, huh?" Up asked slowly, and then glanced at her. "Do you have anywhere to go? Any other relatives?"

Slowly, Taz shook her head, lightly chewing at her bottom lip. "No…They were all at my house, so they all…well. Jou know." She glanced away and Up sighed slightly.

"Well…" Up stated slowly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I spoke to my commander about what you achieved, and I even saw you took out a robot of your own." He looked impressed, and Taz flushed again, but smiled proudly.

"With a rake." She added, and Up stared at her before grinning.

"Impressive." He nodded, and smiled. "Well Taz, The commander was impressed too, and he spoke to the admiral about it, and the admiral agreed, after some persuasion, that if you wanted to, you could join the Starship Ranger Academy."

Taz froze, her eyes widening slightly. Her? Tasmine Lopez, AKA Taz? A Starship Ranger? Taz thought back to when she would watch the Starship Ranger recruitment commercials, and remembered how she wished she could be up there with them, making a difference. But why her? Surely she wasn't anything special.

"What's the catch?" Taz finally asked, narrowing her eyes at him, and he rolled his eyes slightly.

"The Admiral expects you to strive for perfection in every class Taz. He doesn't want to see you slacking. You're going to be one of the minorities at the academy after all. You'll be the youngest trainee we've have, and you're going to be one of the few female cadets there actually are." Up explained, and Taz bit her lip slightly, her lips twitching up into a small smile. Up looked at her curiously, and his eyes widened when her arms wrapped around him tightly in a hug.

"_Gracias!" _Taz mumbled, smiling up at him. He smiled back awkwardly and patted her lightly on the back.

"We're also going to have to find you a mentor, an older, more experienced ranger to help you out." Up explained, and Taz wrinkled her nose slightly, not liking the idea of having some other ranger try to tell her what to do. Up saw her expression and chuckled slightly. "There's one more thing." He added after a moment, and Taz looked up at him curiously. "I want you to promise me something. I want you to promise me you'll be the toughest ranger in the academy. Don't let anyone know your weaknesses and-" he paused for a moment, keeping his eyes locked onto hers. "Don't cry. No matter how tough it gets. Just get back up."

"_Sí,_Up." Taz nodded, and leaned back. She raised her arms to the side of her, as if showing off her muscles, and smiled sarcastically. "Stay tough." She repeated to herself. "Stay _fuerte._"

Up shook his head at the young girl before him and hid a smile. The next three years were going to be interesting at the academy, that was for sure.


	9. Celebration

**A/N - Happy Halloween everyone! I decided to post this on a whim, no idea why. Sorry if it's terrible, but I felt like I should! Many thanks! ^^ Sorry it's short, too. The next one is longer! Promise!**

Up couldn't find Taz ANYWHERE. He had checked all of her usual haunts, the gym, the garden and the library, but she was nowhere to be found, and that confused and worried him slightly. Therefore, that was how he found himself stood at Taz's door. Furrowing his eyebrows together, he slowly knocked on the door. She had only been at the Academy a few months, and it wasn't like her to not be at the gym. It was the Halloween Ball tonight, and she had told him she wasn't going, but he wondered what she WAS doing instead.

Taz's door opened up, and he looked at her in surprise. She was smiling, something he found unusual. Taz usually looked quite surly, usually to keep everyone away from her.

"Up! Good. Jou're here." Taz said and quickly took his hand. She pulled him into the room, and Up noticed something else strange about her. Her clothing. She was wearing a _dress. _He guessed it was native to her home, and her hair was pinned back, a strange, red velvety flower tucked behind her hair. She squeezed his hand slightly and pulled him inside the room, and he looked around curiously.

The room had been decorated, much to his surprised, but not in the way he would have expected. What stood out mainly, was the altar Taz had set up. It was beautiful, he noted, it was adjourned by flowers of yellow, red and orange. The whole thing was surrounded by candles, and as he got closer, Up saw that the photographs of Taz's family he had managed to salvage from her home were also positioned at the altar. He glanced around and saw a few decorated skulls placed neatly around. Up raised an eyebrow, but glanced back at Taz when she let go of his hand and knelt in front of the altar.

Slowly, Up followed her lead, staring at her as her eyes roved the pictures of her family. There was no sadness in her eyes as she looked at them, but a small sad smile was on her lips.

"Taz?" Up asked slowly, and Taz turned to him. "I don't mean to be rude, but what's going on?"

"It's to celebrate the _Dia de los Muertos." _Taz explained, tucking a strand of hair out of her face. Seeing his confused expression, she shook her head with a smile. "The Day of the Dead. It's a Tradition. Usually, we start it on the twenty-seventh of November by cleaning our relatives' graves and making offerings." Something in her eyes made him frown. "But I don't have any graves to go to. So I couldn't do that." She paused for a moment, and then continued, moving her eyes back to the photographs. "And usually, on the _Dia de los Muertos, _We have picnics by our relatives' gravesides, as a sign that we are proving we still love them, and are including them in our activates."

Up silently reached out and took her hand, and she smiled at him slightly, thanking him.

"This is an _ofrendas." _She explained, gesturing towards the altar. "It's an altar to honour the dead…It's all I could do for them." She glanced at him, hesitating for a moment. "Today is also a day to spend with the people you care about who are living, to honour them as well as the dead. Jou don't have to stay, I'm just glad jou were here for a little while."

"I'll stay." Up said immediately, and Taz smiled slightly, thanking him with a nod of the head, and he smiled back at her. "So what do we do now?"

Taz picked up a lighter, (he briefly wondered where she had gotten that from) and lit up a candle. She then picked up the candle and began to light the others, that same small smile on her face. She placed the candle down and began to mumble softly in Spanish, words he couldn't quite pick up. He watched her for a while, noticed how the candle-light lit up her face. He glanced back at the altar as Taz finished what she had been whispering and then picked up a plate which held some bread. He glanced at her questioningly and she casually broke the bread in half.

"_Pan de Muertos." _She explained, handing him half of the bread. "It's the bread of the dead. It's offered to the spirits, and then the family eat it, as a mark of unity and love." She paused slightly. "Jou're all I have left Up." She admitted finally. "I just-"

"I understand." Up told her quietly, taking the bread with a smile. "You're all I have too."

They began to eat their bread in silence, but after a few moments, Taz edged closer to him, and he slipped his arm around her, pulling her close. Taz lightly rested her head against his shoulder, and without really thinking about it, Up laid his head atop of hers. They sat in silence, both of them lost in their thoughts about the people they had lost, and the one person they each had left to rely on.

Each other.


	10. First Impressions

**A/N- Hello again! Just a hint, this one skips back in time again, it's the first meeting but in Up's point of View instead! Oh by the way. Is anyone taking part in NaNoWriMo this year? I am! I did it last year too, it's a lot of fun x3**

"Lieutenant, I want you to head over to Sectors V and W and keep your eye out. If you see anything suspicious, I want you to Com me immediately."

Lieutenant Up nodded stiffly as his Commanding officer passed him, and turned, heading towards one of the jeeps waiting for the troops to head off on their patrols. He ran a hand through his short brown hair for a moment and sighed, starting up the vehicle. It was the same routine every day since the Starships had landed in Mexico. This was one of the few countries left that had yet to be hit by the robot wars, so the Galactic League had sent a variety of Starships and their crew down to make sure that if the robots did decide to attack, there would already be people ready to fight.

Up began to drive towards Sector V, noting how quiet the streets had become. Ever since the Rangers had arrived, the residents had been afraid to even leave their homes unless they absolutely had to. Up felt a thrill of anger at the robots, and gripped onto the steering wheel a little tighter. He passed another group of houses in the sector, and raised an eyebrow when he saw one which was extravagantly decorated, almost as if it was a birthday celebration.

He hid a smile as he drove past, hearing the laughter of the guests, feeling some tension leave his body. It was nice at least that some people could look past the fear and still have an enjoyable day. His eyes roved around the area, looking for the tell-tale signs of a robot, but seeing nothing, he continued on to the next sector, believing this would just be another ordinary day.

Five minutes into the drive through Sector W, Up couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. He could feel it gnawing at his chest, and he scowled slightly, having very good instincts. He froze suddenly as he heard a loud explosion from behind him, and he pulled sharply on the wheel, spinning the jeep around to face the opposite direction. Smoke was billowing up from an area in Sector V, and immediately, Up stepped on the acceleration, speeding back towards where he had come from.

"Shit." He hissed as her neared the sector. He could already hear the screams and laser fire, and began to drive even faster, not particularly caring about the speed limit. Taking out his communicator, he kept his eyes on the road, but spoke into it quickly.

"Commander, this is Lieutenant Up, do you copy? Over."

"_Lieutenant, this is Commander Hupes. Talk to me. Over." _

"Robot attack in Sector V. It looks like a Code V1165 to me sir. Over."

Up heard the commander curse quietly, and suddenly skidded around the corner, focusing mainly on not flipping the jeep. He barely heard his Commander speak as the Jeep skidded around in a complete 360.

"_Up, get in there. Kill as many robots as you can and protect as many people as possible, and for dead-God's sake, try not to get killed. Over."_

Up immediately picked up his Zapper and kicked open the door to his jeep after seeing the chaos outside. Groups of robots were terrorizing screaming citizens who were all fleeing their homes, after being chased out. Up could already see some bodies, and he felt a rush of anger over-take his body.

"Hey! Tin can!" He bellowed at one robot that was advancing on a young mother and her small child. The robot turned to him mechanically, and Up didn't hesitate. He immediately began to shoot at the machine until it fell at his feet in a smoking pile. He nodded at the woman, who was staring at him fearfully. "Find somewhere safe." He told her, and hoped she could understand. He turned when he heard some more screaming, and immediately followed the sound, shooting down every robot he passed along the way.

Up found himself steadily getting closer to the house which had been decorated up for some kind of party, and he cringed when he saw the state of it now. Screams were heard instead of laughter, and Up could see the banners were now aflame. He wasn't sure how long he had been fighting for, but he couldn't help but feel relief when he heard the jeeps of the Rangers begin to skid into view. The screams had died out, and Up wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad sign. He moved towards the previously decorated home, his body still tense as he prepared to look for survivors.

He edged around the house, and shook his head sadly when he saw the burnt and unrecognizable bodies that lay before him. These particular victims had had it worse than most, and he felt another shudder of anger run through him. He froze suddenly when he heard a female scream ring out from behind the house. However, it wasn't a scream of pain. It was a scream of anger, the sound of somebody who had just lost everybody they cared about. The scream was soon followed by a young voice shouting out "_Besa mi culo, puto!" _

Up shifted his zapper and edged around the corner of the house, his eyes narrowed into slits. He stared down at a destroyed robot at his feet, what appeared to be a rake sticking out of its' eye sensors, and turned to look for the person who had done this. All he saw however, was a young girl tied to a tree, with three robots surrounding her. She was in her pre-teens, and had long dark curly hair, which was matted currently with blood. He could see her eyes were a deep chocolate brown, and she was staring furiously at the robots before her as they laughed humourlessly. She was wearing the remains of what would have been a pink party dress, but it was torn and stained with blood from a huge gash in her side. Up's eyes widened as one of the robots smashed a huge bat into the side of the girls head, and she closed her eyes tightly, but didn't even let out a small cry of pain. Instead, she forced open her eyes and glared with pure venom at the robots.

"Hit me again _bastardo_!" she cried, and Up was astounded by her. "Hit me again if jou are not afraid!"

Up flinched slightly as another robot struck her in the stomach, and her mouth opened soundlessly. Snapping out of his daze, Up moved forward to sneak up behind the robots, his zapper held high. Brave as that girl was, it was time to end this.

"Is that all jou GOT?" The girl was shouting now, but her eyes were closed tightly, obviously from pain. "Jou are not _robotas!_ Jou are _patético!" _

The robots glanced at each other, and Up got the feeling that if he didn't strike soon, they would. Almost as if proving his point, one of the robots pointed its' laser canon at the girl. Feeling a sudden fury run through him, he stepped forward and snarled.

"Touch that girl again you fucking bastards, and you won't be laughing for long!"

The robots turned towards him, and behind them, he saw how the girls eyes opened up wide to stare at him. Keeping his mind focused on the task ahead, Up moved forward as the robots moved to fire their lasers at him. He dodged quickly, and managed to land a headshot on one of the robots, and watched in satisfaction as it crumpled to the ground. He turned to another and clenched his fist. He summoned all of strength and punched the robot in the chest. His fist slammed straight through the robot's circuitry and he smiled grimly as he pulled back his fist, and turned to the last one before ducking as a laser shot over his head. Up narrowed his eyes and shot at the robots legs, causing it to fall back with a series of furious bleeps. Up stood up straight and smiled grimly, pointing his zapper at the robots chest before firing several times.

Up turned to the girl hanging from the tree, who had closed her eyes again and began to walk towards her. As he reached her, her eyes opened, and he stared into them for a moment. There was an angry fire raging in them, and Up took a slow step back, breaking eye-contact with her for a moment.

"Alright lil' lady." Up said quickly, glancing at his zapper. "I'm gonna get you down from there, don't you worry."

"Don't call me little." The girl said suddenly, sharply. Up glanced up at her in surprise but he couldn't help but shoot her a grin. She definitely had spunk. He raised his gun and fired at the rope. It snapped easily, and Up caught the girl as she fell. She let out a small gasp of surprise, but Up had no problem lifting her, she was as light as a feather. Their gazes locked again, and Up was once again startled by how intense her eyes were for someone so young.

"Who are jou?" she demanded, and Up raised an eyebrow. Her eyes were blinking repeatedly, a sure sign of tiredness, and Up began to walk towards the Rangers' jeeps. She didn't seem to notice they were moving, and instead stared up at him until he answered her.

"I'm Lieutenant Up of the Starship Rangers." He glanced down at her, and suddenly wondered who this feisty young woman was. "How about you?"

She stared up at him for a moment, her eyes betraying how tired she really was. Slowly, her head slumped against his chest and she closed her eyes.

"I'm Tas-" she began, but before she could finish, she had fallen prey to the land of sleep. He imagined she hadn't finished, but he also thought Taz was a fine name for her. He smiled down at her as they neared the Jeeps, and shifted her lightly in his arms, trying not to wake her.

"Sweet dreams Taz, dead god knows, you deserve 'em." He told her quietly, and pushed his way through towards his commander.

Hupes glanced up at him with a nod, and then looked down at the girl in his arms. He raised an eyebrow at Up, who shrugged his shoulders slightly as he walked over to them

"A survivor sir. She was being beaten by the robots when I made my way over. It was very impressive. She didn't even cry out, instead she was shouting at them to hit her harder." He looked down at Taz, respect blazing in his eyes. Commander Hupes hid a smile at the tone in Up's voice and nodded slightly.

"Go ahead and take her to the medics, then I want you to scout for other survivors. Luckily the robots were stopped before they took over the entire sector."

Up frowned slightly but nodded, carrying Taz towards the medics, who were currently tended to some other injured residents. He nodded respectfully at them, and lightly handed Taz to one of them. He stared at her sleeping form for a moment before turning and walking in the direction he had come from. He headed back to the house he had found Taz, not really knowing why. He began to search, hoping that he could find a survivor who could look after Taz. Despite her hard-ass attitude, he had a feeling she was going to need someone to help look after her; she was just a kid after all.

Finding no-one, Up moved into the house itself. He didn't find any survivors, much to his dismay, but he did find some photographs. Many of them showed Taz in them, so he bundled a good few of them up and walked out of the house, intending to give the photos to the young girl when she woke up. She'd probably like something to remember them by. He walked outside once again, and looked around at his comrades, all of which were either cleaning up the robots remains, or tending to survivors, many of whom were inconsolable, having lost at least one loved one in the slaughter.

Commander Hupes made his way over to Up, looking tired and drawn. He gave Up a firm clap on the shoulder, and Up nodded at him respectfully.

"Found anyone for that girl?" he asked, raising an eyebrow, and Up shook his head, frowning.

"All dead apart from her."

"That's a shame." Hupes murmured, and shook his head. "Well, she'll just have to be taken to the camps, like the others will."

Up froze at his words and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly for a moment. He wondered what on earth he was thinking, contemplating asking such a question to his commanding officer, but he glanced back at the Medics and had seen Taz, and his resolve returned to him.

"Actually Commander, there's something I wanted to ask you, concerning that girl."


	11. Graduation

**A/N- Whooo! Another chapter. For those of you doing NaNoWriMo this year, my penname is koriandmetrion so if you want to add me as a writing buddy, go right ahead!**

_Up turned and saluted the group of Rangers and trainees who were watching him getting ready to board the Starship. He had finally been reassigned on an important mission, and he had argued that he was still Taz's mentor, he had been told that Taz had proven herself worthy to be an academy trainee, and therefore, he was no longer required to be her mentor. So he was leaving for this mission. His eyes roved the crowd until they came to rest on seventeen year old Taz. She wasn't smiling like the others, her lips were pressed into a tight line, and her eyes were burning in anger, locked onto him. _

_Taz stared at him until he made his way towards her slowly, ignoring the other rangers telling him he had to board the Starship. Taz felt some of her angry resolve falter as Up stood in front of her and placed his hands on her shoulders._

"_I'll come back." He promised, and Taz reluctantly looked up into his eyes. "Taz, I promise you I'll come back." _

"_Jou had better come back." Taz found herself saying quietly. "I don't know where I'd be without jou, Up." _

_Up smiled at her gently and immediately gathered her into a hug, not caring about the watching crowd. Taz wrapped her arms around him tightly, closing her eyes and wishing that she never had to let him go. _

"_Work hard." Up murmured into her ear. "Make me proud." He pulled away from her and ruffled her hair, causing her to frown slightly. Then he turned on his heel and walked towards the Starship. Taz didn't stay to watch the launch._

That stupid memory had been playing over in her mind more times than Taz cared to admit, and it had been almost a year since Up had left. She was eighteen now, having had spent her birthday alone. She didn't have anyone to help her take her mind off of everything, so she spent most of her time training.

Therefore, that was how she found herself in the gym, violently beating a punching bag. She had done exactly what Up had told her to do. She was at the top of her classes, and she spent the majority of her spare time in the gym or in the library. She was due to graduate next week, and she had no doubt that she would graduate as the best in her year group. She had no distractions from her studies or from training, so why shouldn't she?

Graduation. Taz found herself cringing at the word sometimes. She was pleased that she was finally going to be able to be a fully-fledged Starship Ranger, but on the other hand, Up still hadn't returned and she had been told that two seats were automatically reserved for each trainee's guests and they could request more seats if more were needed, and Taz was beginning to accept that she would have no-one sitting in her seats. She was alone.

The week passed quickly, and Taz soon found herself pulling on the official Starship uniform in the room she shared with three other girls. The uniform was ridiculously big and she felt a twinge of annoyance as she rolled her sleeves up to her elbows. She stared at her reflection in the mirror and silently pulled her hair up into a high ponytail, figuring that there was no point making a huge deal out of the way she looked. She was going into the military after all, and the uniform made her look _estúpido. _Heaving a small sigh, Taz left the other girls to their own devices and began to wander down the halls, looking around at everything she passed. Today could be the last day she saw the academy, the place where she had spent three years, where she had started to rebuild her life. She wanted to remember this place. It hadn't been easy, but this was Taz's home. It was where Tasmine was left behind and where Taz was born.

Slowly, Taz dragged herself towards the events hall, almost tripping over her too large uniform pants a few times. She cursed under her breath, and swore she would never wear these stupid things again and joined the groups of trainees getting ready to enter the hall. She kept her expression neutral, trying to fight back the sudden waves of nausea she was feeling by gripping onto the dog tags around her neck which were a gift from Up before he left. She swallowed convulsively as they started to file into the room, and followed after them, pressing her lips together firmly.

She followed the group up onto the stage and stood in her place, staring firmly at the ground, keeping her hands clasped firmly in front of her. She didn't really pay attention as the Admiral began to speak, her mind preoccupied on other things and trying to keep her expression passive. She glanced up slightly as the Admiral began to read out names for people to come and collect their official Ranger badge, and she took a deep breath to calm herself.

"Taz Lopez." The Admiral's voice called out eventually, and Taz steadied herself. She stepped forwards and her eyes reluctantly swept over the crowd. She expected to see two empty seats where her reserved seats were, but her eyes widened when she saw somebody sat in one of them.

Up was grinning at her from the seat, his eyes blazing with pride. Taz's breath caught in her throat, and with great difficultly, she turned to face the Admiral as he pinned the badge to her uniform and gave a salute and a small smile. Taz returned the gesture and stepped back, her eyes locking onto Up for the rest of the ceremony. He seemed to have the same idea, because he didn't look away from her, and seemed to be taking in how much she had changed in a year.

As soon as the ceremony ended and the graduates could leave to join their families, Taz leapt off the stage immediately found herself in Up's arms. He swung her around, laughing, and Taz beamed at him as he placed her down on the ground. Her arms stayed wrapped around his neck and his around her waist, and they simply stared at each other for a moment. Up's hair was more silver than she remembered it to be, and her hand slipped down to trace over the scar that ran down his left eye.

"I told you I'd come back." Up told her softly, lightly placing his hand over hers. "How could I miss your graduation?" he smiled, pressing his forehead against hers. "I am so proud of you."

Taz tried to push back the blush she could feel trying to blossom on her cheeks and smiled back at him. "Thinking about making jou proud was the only things getting me through it…I'm glad jou're back Up. I really am."

He kissed her lightly on the forehead and then grinned at her embarrassed expression. "C'mon Taz. People are coming over to congratulate you. And you thought you didn't have any friends here!"

Taz scowled at him slightly and lightly elbowed him in the stomach, but really, she couldn't have been happier. She was a Starship Ranger now, and Up was right by her side. And that was exactly how it should always be.


	12. Forbidden

**A/N- This one is a bit shorter than the others. Sorry! I couldn't find a way to drag it out further ^^ Oh yeah, there's a Starship Roleplay forum starting up here on Fanfiction. If you're into roleplay, go ahead and join up! It's called 'A Very Starship Roleplay'. Taz, Up and Junior are taken, but everyone else is fair game! Just figured i'd do a bit of promo. Enjoy the chapter!**

Up was confused. Seriously confused. This was a fairly rare occurrence, as the commander very rarely found himself in a situation where he had no idea what to do. However, whenever he was around her, he never really knew what to do with himself, especially not recently. Taz had been on his mind for a while recently, but he just couldn't figure out why. Whenever he saw her, he felt his heart twist painfully, and he felt his stomach drop, almost as if he had found himself on a rollarcoaster.

Everything about that woman caused him to feel this way lately; her intense chocolate brown eyes, her thick Spanish accent, the way her body and muscles tensed when she was training, the way those full, red lips smiled at him – those supple, soft li-

Wait.

What was he thinking?

Up ran his fingers through his hair in a frustrated manner. He had never felt like this before in his life. He had known Taz for five years now, and these feelings were only just starting to emerge. He found himself becoming ridiculously happy whenever Taz leaned against him during movie night, or when she would wear his clothes instead of putting on her own pyjamas, and when he woke up beside her on those rare days, he couldn't help but feel how _right _it was.

_Shit._

This was why he pushed people away. To avoid feeling like this, so he never felt this strongly for someone before. Emotions were dangerous, and he knew he never should have allowed Taz to get this close, but now she was all he had, to push her away now would kill him, and it wouldn't do any good for her either. On the other hand, this was a very big problem.

He was in love with his best friend.

Up glanced down at Taz's sleeping form and idly brushed a strand of her from her face, his eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"What are you doing to me Taz?" Up asked quietly, and the twenty year old shifted around slightly, curling up closer to him. As she did so, it caused Up's hand to brush across her cheek, and he froze, her skin feeling like fire under his skin. He glanced, panicked at her face, but the contact hadn't woke her up, so slowly, Up lightly trained his fingers along her cheek before tucking some of her hair behind her ear gently.

He knew it was wrong for him to think of her in such a way. She was an Ensign, and he had just been made commander. Relationships outside of ranks were strictly forbidden, and it was entirely possible for a Ranger to lose their status and be kicked out of the league if it was discovered. The more Up thought about it, the more Up didn't care. He would trade away everything he had if it meant that Taz would feel the same way as he did and would be willing to love him too.

But no. Up had trained Taz himself, and he had taught her everything that he knew. She had become hard as stone, emotionless, except for anger and the occasionally happy smile when she was around him. He had taught her that emotion was weak. That it was a hindrance. Taz had really taken to that idea, so Up knew that even hoping for her to love him was a waste of time.

"Dead God-willing Taz." Up mumbled with a small sigh. "Sometimes I feel like I'm goin' soft 'cos of you."

As if to reply, Taz's hands wrapped around Up's arm and hugged it gently, that same small smile on her lips. He stared at her for a moment but shook his head, smiling. She had no idea how adorable she could be, and he knew that if he told her, she'd try to beat him up for suggesting it.

There was no other possible way to deal with his emotions. For the both of them, he would have to push them aside to help Taz achieve her own dreams. She had come to him today to tell him that she had been told she was on her way to making lieutenant. Up knew how hard she had worked for this, and he wasn't going to do anything to jeopardise that. Taz had worked so hard to make it this far, she had endured ridicule from her class-mates, had faced the odds and had pulled through.

Taz deserved this break. Up had promised to help her overcome any other obstacles that may cross her path, so he wasn't about to cause another one in her life. For now, he would be content to admire her silently.

Gently pulling his arm from her grip, he lay back against the pillows and slipped his arm around her shoulders as he usually did. Immediately, Taz curled into him, and Up closed his eyes with a small smile. This was wrong. His feelings were forbidden. But he loved her anyway.


	13. Bullies

It had been a long, tiring day, to be perfectly frank. Taz had endured enough ridicule and threatened enough people in this one single day than she had in a whole week at the academy. She didn't really know what to do with herself. Usually, after a hard day, Taz would go to Up's room. They would talk about it, Up would threaten to beat the kids up, Taz would laugh, and they'd watch the Karate Kid. It was Taz's favourite way to unwind.

Unfortunately, Up had been called on a minor mission a few days earlier, just to go to the G.L.E.E and report her progress, and this seemed to suggest to her class-mates that teasing and ridiculing her more than usual was perfectly fine. Mostly, they stayed away from her, because the fearsome Lieutenant Up was her mentor, but as soon as he was gone, she was fair game as far as they were concerned.

Not that Taz wasn't able to take care of herself; no. She was perfectly capable to take care of herself, it was just, they never tended to approach her on her own, it was always in group, when it was harder for her to defend herself. That was why Taz was out In the garden instead of staying inside her dormitory. Up had shown her this place, and it had quickly become her favourite place in the academy. It was slightly hidden, and hardly anyone came out here, and that was perfectly fine with her.

Taz sat, her back against a tree and a book in her lap. Not many people knew it, but Taz loved to read, to allow herself to get lost in the story, to forget her own worries and troubles. Idly, Taz turned the page of her book, and was so lost in it, that she didn't realise she was being approached. Only when they stood in front of her and blocked her synthetic sunlight did she look up with a raised eyebrow.

There were four of them. Two girls and two boys. Oh this was going to be a fair fight. Taz scowled at them, but they merely smirked in response. One of the boys, Adam, the stupid one, plucked the book out of her hands, and immediately, Taz was on her feet.

"Give it back." She snapped, her eyes locked onto Adam. He sneered at her and threw the book to one of the girls, Alicia.

"Why should we, shortie?" Alicia smiled, holding the book by the spin between her thumb and forefinger, almost as if she was afraid she'd be contaminated by touching it.

"Because it's mine." Taz replied shortly, and tried to grab for the book, but Alicia merely laughed and threw it towards the remaining boy, Joe. He smiled at Taz and held it high in the air and Taz felt her blood boil. He was so tall!

"Come and get your book, freak." Joe stated casually. "If you can reach it that is."

Taz, her blood still boiling, stormed forward. She glared up at him and then, did something very Taz-like. She punched him in the stomach. Joe gasped, winded, and dropped the book. Taz grabbed it and moved to run, but Adam and the other girl, Kelly grabbed onto her arms tightly and held her in place.

"Hey!" she snapped, struggling slightly. "Four against one jou _bastardos?_ Jou all too scared to fight me on jour own?"

"Just think of this as payback." Joe said coldly, standing up straight with a wince. He picked up Taz's discarded book and smiled, dropping it into the lake. Taz stared at it, her mouth hanging open slightly. That book had been a gift from Up on her birthday, it was one of her prized possessions. She stared at it silently for a few seconds before a sharp punch to the stomach caught her off-guard. She sucked in a breath, her body tensing slightly, and glared up at Joe. The dark haired boy simply smirked at her and then delivered a blow to her cheek. Taz flinched as her head was snapped to the side at the blow. She'd had harder, but that was still enough to give her a bruise in the morning.

Taz tried to block out the hits, focusing on handling the pain, not letting it show on her face. Halfway through the beating, her legs gave way, and she slumped slightly, wanting to get up and beat the shit out of this _cabron, _but couldn't even move to stop him.

"HEY!" a furious voice bellowed, and Taz felt her captors release her. She fell to her knees, her hair covering her face, breathing heavily. "YOU FUCKING BASTARDS! YOU BETTER RUN BEFORE I GET MY HANDS ON YOU!"

Taz reached out and picked up the ruined book, laying it out on the ground in front of her with a sigh. She spat out some blood and winced slightly when she felt a rough hand on her chin before the speaker tilted her head up, and she found herself staring into familiar ocean blue eyes.

"I know this is a stupid question." Up said quietly, and Taz could still hear the fury in his voice. "But are you ok? How badly are you hurt?"

"Can't feel a thing." Taz lied, looking down at her book again with a small sigh. "Dis is the real issue. They dropped it in the lake…Sorry Up."

"Don't you apologize." Up said sharply, his eyes narrowing. "I can buy you a new book. It's you I'm worried about. Come on." He stood up and took her hands, pulling her up with him. She stumbled slightly before steadying herself and nodding. "Come on." Up sighed, with a small smile. "Hop onto my back."

Taz stared at him for a moment before nodding, taking both of his hands and placing her foot on his leg to boost herself up onto his back in a piggy-back style. She lightly wrapped her arms around his neck, feeling shame wash over her. She should have been stronger than this, she wasn't worthy of being Up's protégée.

She felt Up tense as they turned the corner and saw the group up ahead, laughing about what they had done to her. She glanced at him and saw he was visibly shaking with anger, his eyes locked onto the group.

"Hold on tight." He warned her, gripping onto her legs slightly. Taz raised an eyebrow, but made sure she was secure in his arms.

"HEY! FUCKERS!" Up suddenly bellowed, and the group turned, wide-eyed. "YOU BETTER FUCKING RUN!" Taz peeked her head over his shoulder and smirked at the groups terrified expression. She outstretched an arm at them and let out the fiercest battle cry Up had ever heard. It was enough to put a blood-thirsty warrior to shame. Up made a similar noise and began to run towards the group, who immediately all screamed and scattered. Up continued to pursue, sheparding the group towards the academy's dumpsters, where there was a dead-end. Seeing no escape, the group immediately opened them up, jumping inside, the girls moaning loudly.

Up passed them, grinning, and he heard Taz's warcry dissolve into a fit of giggles. She pressed her head against the crook of his neck, and he could feel her grinning. She continued to giggle, a sound Up had never heard from her before, and immediately he thought it was the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard .

"Thank jou Up. Seriously."

"Anytime Taz."


	14. Captured

"Rangers, fall back into the Starship! I repeat! Fall back into the Starship! I want every single one of your asses to back on this Starship NOW, d'you hear me?"

It was chaos. Up had agreed to lead another mission on a neighbouring alien planet to try and negotiate an alliance and peace treaty. As it turns out, the aliens had already made an alliance with the robots, so as soon as the Starship had landed, what should have been a peaceful negotiation turned into an outright battle.

Up saw that it was hopeless, there was no way that his team could win against so many alien warriors without reinforcements, so he had called his rangers back. After about ten minutes of frantically beating them back, they were finally all back on the ship, except two.

"Dead-Godamnit , where's Taz and Baker?" Up bellowed, and the other rangers exchanged panicked looks, and he could tell that they had no idea. Up muttered a brief curse and turned, his heart hammering in his chest slightly. Commander Up was known for his knack of never leaving a man, or woman behind. And he wasn't going to start now. His eyes widened when he saw a glimpse of a human running towards him. "It's Baker!" he called out, and immediately, several troops moved forward to help the limping man onto the ship.

"Where the hell is Taz?" Up demanded, bending down so he was eye-level with Baker, looking furious. Baker looked up at him, terrified.

"S-she was right behind me-" he stammered, his green eyes wide. "The aliens were overwhelming us – we started to run back, but we must have got separated."

Up swore loudly and turned to the other rangers, who were looking at him expectantly, and with a hint of fear of their faces. He stared around at his brave troops and nodded at them grimly.

"Fend the bastards off. I'll find Taz. That's a command! And I don't want any of you dead when I return, you got that?" Up bellowed, and the crew shouted the affirmative back to him. Up gripped his handguns and jumped out of the starship, and immediately heard the other rangers begin to do the same. Without waiting, Up let out a fierce battle-cry and ran straight into the midst of the oncoming aliens, shooting everything within his range.

He had had to assign positions for each of his rangers before the battle had started, and so he headed into the vague direction of the position he had set Taz and Baker in, inwardly cursing his stupidity. He should have kept Taz as close as humanely possible. She was reckless and hot-headed, he knew that. And the fear that he might never see her again caused him to run at speeds he had never achieved before, wild fury blazing in his eyes.

He ducked quickly behind a tree as some of the aliens ran past him, and then managed to slip inside of their basecamp without being detected. Stealthily, he slipped down the halls, his eyes narrowed in determination. If he knew Taz (which he did, they had been best friends for five years now), then she had most definitely been here, trying to destroy the heart of the operation. A nasty voice in the back of his head was telling him she had most probably been captured, and the sinking feeling in his gut only seemed to confirm that.

Hearing alien voices, Up noticed an empty room and slipped inside it, switching on the translating mechanism in his ear. As the two aliens passed, Up caught a snippet of their conversation, and his eyes widened.

"The human girl is strong. She will not break easily." One of them stated, it's hissing, strangled-sounding tone distorting the words slightly.

"She will break, there will be a lot in store for her if she doesn't." the other one cackled, and Up felt his blood boil, before worry washed over him.

'_Taz…'_

**(Linebreaklinebreak)**

Taz glared up at her captives with pure fury in her eyes, her hands clenched into tight fists. Her arms and legs were chained together, and she couldn't move a muscle as her chains attached her to the wall. She was slumped forward slightly, blood running down a cut on her cheek and fresh bruises beginning to form on her legs and arms. The first thing the bastards had done when they caught her, was to cut her hair as so form of humiliation tactic.

One of the aliens had grabbed a large fistful of her hair and had taken her own knife from her to rip the most of it from her head. Her hair now fell haphazardly just high above her neck, and had indeed felt humiliated. But most of all, she had been angry. Then they had started the beating, asking her for information about the G.L.E.E, but Taz's lips remained sealed tightly.

"Listen to me, human." One of the aliens stated; a female. She was tall, and she, like the rest of the race was cat-like in appearance, and Taz had seen her in the corner, those pointed fangs glinting in the light as she smiled when Taz was beaten. She held herself with an almost regal air, and Taz realised with a sudden start, that this was the empress, the leader of the race who had been elected by the rest. "You will reveal to us the secrets of the Galactic League. Everything you know. If you do not, then I will be forced to take drastic measures."

"_Muérdame" _Taz replied sharply, and spat at her feet. A guard moved forward as if to strike her, but the empress raised a hand to stop him, her smile widening in an almost malicious manner.

This race was known as the Wiynr, Taz vaguely remembered Up telling her. They were a vastly proud and highly religious group of aliens, who were usually peaceful. This sudden violence was surprising in them, and Taz felt her glare intensify at the Empress, who she felt was most probably the reason for all of this. She was corrupt. She was twisted.

"Bring out the whip." The empress instructed, and Taz felt her eyes widen, though she kept the rest of her expression neutral. Surely they weren't going to- were they? She narrowed her eyes into a glare at the Empress turned to smile at her widely before stepping back into the shadows as Taz's torturers stepped forward again, this time one of them held a long stockwhip in its' hands, and Taz felt her breath catch in her throat as she stared at it.

"Are you ready to talk yet?" The Empress's voice purred from the shadows, and Taz shut her eyes tightly, preparing for the blow.

"_Vete a la mierda!"_ Taz bellowed, and clenched her hands into tight fists. She felt the aliens turn her around so she was facing the wall and braced herself.

A small gasp escaped her lips as she felt the leather whip crack across her back. Her skin suddenly felt like it was on fire, and she was sure the pure force of the blow had ripped the back of her shirt. A small cry almost broke through her, but she held it back, shutting her eyes tighter. The second blow hurt more than the first, and Taz was sure she'd never felt anything like this. She could feel warm liquid running down her back, and her back was screaming in protest.

"Do you still wish to hold your silence?" Taz heard the Empress ask quietly, and Taz evened her breathing before she replied, though her voice shook slightly.

"Go to hell _perra._" She spat.

The third blow was harder than the first two. Taz muffled the scream she almost released by biting down hard onto her lip. She wasn't going to crack. She wasn't going to tell them anything.

"Harder." She heard the empress call out, and this time, Taz couldn't hold back the scream as the whip cracked onto skin which had already been sliced open by it. Her scream rang through the room, echoing slightly.

"Shit!" Taz hissed, her body trembling from the effort to stay standing. Suddenly, in her mind, she thought about giving up, about telling them everything she knew. But immediately, she thought of Up. Up would have never give in, he would have let the aliens beat him to death if he were here. So she would do that too. She took a deep steadying breath before she spoke again. "Jou…Can beat me til I die here, but I will never tell jou anything that you want to know. Go ahead. Beat me to a pulp, but jou're never going to get what jou want."

There was silence for a few moments, and Taz closed her eyes again. Her back was wet and sticky and still felt as if it were on fire. Every slight move Taz made felt like her skin was being ripped apart. She tried to control her breathing and bit onto her lip again, biting so hard that she drew blood.

"Very well. Kill her." The Empress stated, anger laced into her tone now. "If she won't give us what we need, she is no use to us."

The fifth blow was quickly followed by the sixth. The aliens showed no mercy, and Taz couldn't stop the high-pitched scream of agony that emitted from her mouth as they mercilessly beat at her. Her back arched, and she gripped onto her chains, tears forcing their way down her cheeks before she could find the sense to stop them.

"TAZ!" she heard a voice bellow from behind her, and through the haze in her brain, Taz was sure she recognized the voice. As the whip ceased to strike against her back, Taz slumped forward, unable to keep herself upright any longer. She could dimly hear zapper-fire behind her, but she was so tired…

"Taz! Taz, listen to me. Wake up!"

Taz slowly opened her eyes blearily and locked onto a pair of ocean blue eyes. Her lips curved upwards slightly as her saviour shot through her chains and gently picked her up, being careful to not touch her injuries.

"Up." She breathed, lightly gripping onto his shirt as Up began to run. _"Gracias…" _

**(LinebreakLinebreak)**

Up stared at Taz's limp body in dismay. He had seen the Wiynr whip her, and he had been filled with a sudden fury that anyone could treat her in that manner. He had seen the tear tracks on her cheeks, the pain in her eyes, and he knew the Wiynr had been so close to beating her down. But he had heard Taz scream that she would never betray the rangers, and he felt a surge of pride.

He had seen the other Rangers' horrified expressions as he brought Taz onto the ship, the both of them covered in blood. Her blood. The medics had been in a state of shock when they saw Taz's back, and began to work on it right away. A part of him was glad that Taz wasn't awake for the cleaning process. Her body tensed up at the stinging liquid anyway, and as he still held onto her hand, unwilling to leave her, her hand had gripped his suddenly and tightly.

When she had been bandaged up, and had been pumped full of painkillers to take the pain away when she woke up, Up continued to sit by her side, unwilling to leave her. On their way back to the G.L.E.E headquarters, Taz's eyes opened slowly, and she seemed confused. She glanced at him, and a small smile spread over her lips.

"Hey Taz." Up greeted, giving her hand a small squeeze. "You're gonna be alright now."

"I know." Taz agreed sleepily, using what little strength she had to squeeze his hand back. "Jou saved me Up. Again."

"I never leave anyone behind. Especially you."


	15. Nightmare

Heaving slightly, Taz tried to squint through the heavy smoke, her eyes watering as it burned her eyes. She tried to call out, to call for someone, but all that came out of her throat was a hacking cough, and she clutched her ribs as the cough began to cause her pain.

Fighting her way through the thick smoke, Taz found herself tripping over charred and unrecognizable bodies. She tried not to look at them, in fear she would find someone she cared about. What had happened exactly? She wasn't too sure. She just remembered an explosion, then screaming and the fire…and smoke. A lot of smoke.

As the smoke became thicker, Taz lost sight of the bodies in her prehiperical vision, and before she knew what was really happening, she fell forward and her eyes widened as she landed between two bodies. Their faces were only half-charred, and Taz felt a strangled scream rise up in her throat as she stared at one of them, and saw the lifeless brown eyes of Felipa Lopez staring up at her. Turning her head sharply to the side, Taz really did scream as she scrambled backwards, pushing back bodies in an attempt to get away from her father's blank eyes.

"_Mamá… Papá…" _Taz whispered, fighting back the tears threatening to fall. She stared at them blankly for a moment before she forced herself up onto her feet.

Taz's eyes widened as she felt a sudden pressure around her throat, and was pushed up against a wall. She glanced up, panicked and gasping for air, and stared straight into the glowing red-eyes of a robot sentinel.

"Taz!- Taz wake UP!"

Taz's eyes snapped open and she found herself staring into familiar ocean-blue ones. Her chest was heaving slightly, and she felt the dampness of her tears still on her cheeks. She was vaguely aware that Up was pinning her onto the bed, probably to stop her from kicking, and closed her eyes tightly, trying to control herself and stop herself from shaking.

After a moment, she felt Up's hands release her, once he was satisfied she wasn't going to lash out anymore, and she sat up, hastily rubbing her hand across her eyes, not wanting to look at him, feeling shame wash over her body. It was a stupid nightmare. Nothing to cry about.

She felt the bed dip slightly beside her, and fought back the urge to cry again when she felt Up's arm wrap around her shoulders gently.

"I'm sorry I woke jou." She said quietly, lightly plucking at the bottom of Up's t-shirt which she was wearing. It was huge on her, and dwarfed her tiny body, but it was all she had to wear at night, and she was grateful Up had given it to her.

"Don't worry 'bout it." Up told her gently, squeezing her shoulders gently. "We all have nightmares Taz. They 'aint nothin' to be ashamed of, and it's only been a week since it happened…"

Taz kept her eyes trained on the floor, her lips pressed into a tight line. Seeing that she wasn't ready to talk just yet, Up continued hastily, trying to find a way to console her.

"When I lost my parents, I had nightmares for about a month afterwards." Up finally confessed, and this seemed to work, because Taz's eyes snapped up to his, disbelief written all over her face.

"Jou? Nightmares?" Taz asked, her eyes searching his critically, and Up simply nodded.

"I couldn't get their faces outta my head, or the screamin'. It gets easier Taz, honest-to dead-God. The pain never really goes away, but the nightmares do."

Taz nodded slightly, the left side of her lip quirking upwards slightly in a half-hearted smile. Up might be right, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to go back to sleep just yet. She felt her heart clench at having to see her families charred faces again in her dreams and pulled her knees up to her chest, biting her bottom lip.

Up noticed this and rubbed the back of his neck slightly, wondering what he could do to help. Glancing over at the TV, his expression brightened slightly.

"If you don't wanna go to sleep, how 'bout we watch a film or somethin'?" he asked, and Taz looked up at him gratefully and gave him a small nod.

"If dat's alright." She told him quietly, and he simply shrugged and gestured to the TV, where only a few films lay.

"'Course it is, just go choose one and we can settle down to watch."

Taz stood, walking over to the TV. She bent down and flicked through the few DVD's Up had. A good number of action films, as to be expected, but Taz stopped when she came across one of them. _'She's all that' _stared out at her and she raised her eyebrows up to her hairline before pushing the film to one side. Probably best to never mention that again.

Taz picked up the last film in the pile, and her lips curved up into a smile at the title. One of her own personal favourites. This would do. She stood up and turned to Up, showing him the film she had chosen.

"The Karate Kid?" Up questioned, and then grinned. "Good choice. One of my favourites." He took the film from Taz and bent down to put it into the DVD player, and Taz sat down on the couch to watch him.

"Mine too." Taz replied, her lips curving upwards a little more. Up turned and shot her a grin as the film began to start, and flopped beside her on the couch, his arms hanging over the back of the couch.

They sat in relative silence for a while, enjoying each other's company and enjoying the film that they both loved. As the movie continued however, Taz felt her eyes begin to droop slightly. Stifling a yawn, Taz shuffled closed to Up and curled up slightly beside him, leaning against him, her head against his shoulder.

Up glanced down at her in surprise for a moment, before he saw she was beginning to drift off to sleep. He smiled slightly and glanced back at the TV screen as the movie ended before letting his head fall back against the back of the couch. He then closed his eyes and before either of them knew it, the two of them were fast asleep.

It was first time since the robot attacks that Taz hadn't had a nightmare.


	16. Spar

"Taz, if you're gonna be accepted in the Academy, you're gonna have to know how to fight."

Taz's eyes narrowed, suddenly offended by what Up was saying. It had been two weeks since the attack on her family, and the fifteen year old was finally fully healed. Physically anyway. She still have nightmares, but they were never as bad as the one she had had when she and Up watched the Karate Kid together. Her long hair was pulled up in a ponytail, and Up had bought her some clothes to train in, simple sweats and a white tank top.

"I can fight." Taz snapped, curving into a defensive stance, and Up smiled slightly, shaking his head. He too was in a simple pair of sweats and a grey tank top, and Taz had a hard time not staring at his Biceps, or his pectorals. She didn't even think it was possible for someone to be that…ripped.

"You fight like a wildcat." He informed her, gesturing to her position, coiled, and ready to spring. "You've picked up things from the streets, but you need to know how to apply what you already know into a more effective fighting method."

Seeing her sceptical expression, Up stepped into the sparring area, gesturing for her to join him. Slowly, Taz climbed over the ropes and looked up at him, her eyebrows furrowed.

"Hit me."

Taz stared at him in disbelief for a moment. Did he seriously just ask that? Up raised an eyebrow slightly, spreading his arms out.

"I said hit me. The way to learn is to do. So hit me, and I'll show you what I meant."

Taz narrowed her eyes slightly. Fine. If he wanted her to hit him, she would. Darting forward, she quickly brought her fist up to hit him, only to quickly find her fist in his hand, having reached nowhere near her intented target of his face. Narrowing her eyes, she quickly pulled her fist out of his grip and began to strike at him repeatedly, only to find he was able to block every single one of her blows without difficulty.

Suddenly, he grabbed her wrists and held her arms above her head in a firm grip, his face only inches away from hers. Immediately, Taz stopped struggling, her eyes wide. She breathed heavily for a few moments, and then Up finally dropped her arms, stepping back.

"You see what I mean?" Up asked, throwing her a bottle of water. She caught it, frowning, but nodded.

"You need to refine your skills." He continued, watching her as she drank some more water. "Your stance is off, for starters. Try not to coil so much. Keep yourself firm. Strong."

Taz nodded, dropping her water bottle on the floor. She took a step back and tried to avoid curling slightly, instead she stood tall, her lips set in a firm line, raising her arms in a defensive position. Up studied her for a moment, his eyes narrowed.

"Balance your weight more evenly." He commanded, circling her, and Taz did as she was told. "Better. Now. Keep your focus when you strike. Watch my movements, but don't lower your own guard or leave yourself open."

Taz moved forward with a flurry of punches, noting how quick he deflected them, but gasped as Up grabbed her fist and used it to turn her around, twisting her arm and pressing it against her back. Taz fought back tears of pain as he held her there for a moment, and then stumbled forward slightly as he let her go.

"Again."

**Breakbreakbreak**

Taz cringed as she hit the floor for what seemed to the umpteenth time, her body trembling slightly. Her tank top was soaked in sweat, and Taz could feel bruises starting to form where she had let her guard down, and Up had taken advantage of it.

It made sense, why he had been made a Lieutenant-Commander so young. After training with him today, she saw that he was ruthless, a warrior, and he showed no mercy. Slowly, Taz pulled herself up into a sitting position, cringing as she touched her stomach.

"Come on. Again. We're not stopping until you get a hit in."

Taz didn't look up at him. She didn't want to. She was tired, sore and she just wanted to sleep. Slowly, she reached out and picked up her water-bottle, taking a slow steady drink before she considered replying. When she did finally reply, it was so quiet that Up didn't hear her, and he narrowed his eyes.

"What?" he asked, and wearily, Taz gained the courage to look up at him, defeated.

"I give up." She repeated, and found she couldn't look him in the eyes any longer. She didn't want to see the disappointment. He had made all of this effort for her, giving up the Commander position, being her mentor, and he was wrong about her. She wasn't worth it. She wasn't strong enough.

She flinched slightly when Up knelt before her, and she felt his fingers grip her chin and tilt her head upwards. She looked into his eyes and didn't see any disappointment, only determination.

"Taz Lopez." He growled slightly. "You listen to me right now. You're not giving up, because I'm not going to let you. Quitters give up. I aint going to let you be a quitter." He paused for a moment, looking thoughtful, and then the nodded. "Alright. Remember the end of the Karate Kid? Dre way lying there and Han was telling him not to go back out and fight. And what did Dre say?"

Taz paused for a moment, her shoulders sagging slightly as she recalled the scene. "When life knocks you down, you can choose whether or not to get back up. And I'm trying to get back up."

"Exactly. Now get up."

Taz stared at him as he stood up, and gritting her teeth slightly, Taz also began to stand, ignoring the protests her muscles made at the action. Without another word, Taz stepped back and got back into her defensive position, but this time, there was a new glint in her eyes. Determination.

Moving quickly, she began to push forward, and Up noted how more fierce her strikes had become. Up's fist moved forward, seeing a weak spot in her form, but suddenly found that Taz's other arm blocked it, and Up found suddenly that he was actually being pushed back by her attacks. Up narrowed his eyes slightly and began to attempt to push her back, but her eyes were locked on his every move, and as soon as she noticed a weak spot, she struck, and her fist collider with his cheek.

Up stumbled back, startled, and looked back at Taz, who was staring at him, stunned. He grinned, straightening slightly and walking towards her. He ruffled her hair, and she moved her eyes to look up at him.

"Nice job." He told her, and Taz saw a proud glint in his eyes. "There hasn't been an Academy trainee yet who's managed to lay a hit on me." He gave her a wink. "Some Ensigns haven't even done that yet, and you're neither yet!"

Taz dropped her stance, her lips pulling up into a wide smile. She had known him for two weeks, but receiving praise from Up was somehow even better than any other praise she could receive.

"_Gracias, _Up." Taz said quietly. "For helping me get back up."

"Aw, Taz. That wasn't me. That was the Karate Kid." Up laughed, but he smiled at her anyway. "Speaking of the Karate Kid...Movie night?"

Taz grinned. "Works for me."


	17. Loss

When she woke, Taz was vaguely aware that she was in a very white, very bright room. Immediately, she assumed she was in heaven, and she felt acceptance wash over her slightly. She must have died during a fight with the robots. At least she had died taking those bastards down with her, so no-one could say she had died for nothing.

As more of her vision returned to her, she became dimly aware of a slight pain in her legs. They ached, and felt extremely heavy. Strange. She thought you didn't feel pain when you were dead.

"She's waking up!" Taz heard a voice cry out, and slowly, with a low moan, Taz pulled herself up into a sitting position, pressing her hands against her head. Slowly, she glanced to her left and saw Nurse Jacoby and Doctor Jameson, two of the G.L.E.E.'s greatest medical officers. Realization suddenly started to sink in, and Taz felt her breath catch in her throat as the memories assaulted her.

_Up calling out her name as he ran to help her._

_The tentacles lifting him up, holding him spread-eagle in the air._

_Optimus Prime._

_The buzz saw._

_UP!_

"Oh dead GOD!" Taz cried out, without realizing it, clapping her hand around her mouth. Beside her, she heard a frantic beeping as her heart monitor went into overdrive, but all she could really focus on was the memory of seeing Up, her Up, being sliced in half. There was so much blood, and Taz could remember screaming, screaming for him.

"We need to sedate her!" She could dimly hear Jameson shout, and her hands reached out, grabbing him firmly at the top of the arms, causing a needle to clatter to the ground.

"Up." She demanded, fighting back the panicked tears in her eyes. "Where is Up!"

"Lieutenant, you're not ready for so much excitement!" Jameson cried out, obviously worried for his life, and her own stress-levels.

Taz shook her head quickly, gripping onto his arms tightly. "Where is Up?" she demanded once again. She needed to know, needed to hear someone say it. Up was dead, Up was never coming back.

"Lieutenant, the Commander, he was cut in half, d-don't you remember?"

Of course she remembered, she could remember the blood, his eyes locked onto hers, trying to tell her something. But now he was gone. She would never know what he had wanted to tell her, never see his playful grin again, never have him ruffle her hair (even though she said she hated it) again.

Reaching out blindly, Taz ripped out the wires which were stuck into her skin, and stumbled onto her feet, releasing Jameson. She ignored the cries of the other doctors for her to lie down, grabbing her head as the world began to spin. She couldn't be here. Not now.

Immediately, she began to run, ignoring the screaming protests her legs were making, not caring where she was going, or if she got there. She simply ran, her heart pounding wildly in her chest.

Soon, she found herself outside of Up's room and whispered her name to the voice command operational system. The door slid open, and Taz slowly walked inside, staring around at his room. Just like she remembered it. The bed was still messy from when he had probably woken up late and had to hurry to get ready. His closet was still open slightly, and there was the Karate kid sitting on his couch from their last movie night.

Moving towards his closet, Taz pulled open the doors fully to stare at his clothes within. Up never dressed comfortably, preferring to always remain prepared. Taz could remember forcing him to buy some casual clothes once though, and she pulled one of his shirts from the hanger, pulling it close to her body. She inhaled slightly, and felt tears build up in her eyes. It still smelled like him.

Trembling slightly, Taz pulled her hospital gown off, and pulled on a pair of Up's boxers and the shirt instead, just like the old days. The shirt fell down past her thighs and just above her knees, and dwarfed her small frame. Walking mechanically to the couch, Taz picked up 'The Karate Kid' and lightly traced her fingers over the cover, remembering happier times. Just Up and her, laughing and cuddling up to watch the film. This room was filled with so many good and happy memories that Taz couldn't take it, and had to hold back a sob that was dying to break through her lips.

Slowly, Taz turned to look at herself in the mirror. Her legs were bruised and battered, and were shaking slightly. Her hair stuck up at odd angles, and she had a large bruise blossoming on her cheek. Staring at her reflection slightly, Taz wondered how she had got off so lightly. She had a few bruises that would easily heal, but Up….Up was gone.

Her legs gave away suddenly, and Taz gripped onto the side of the bed as her tears began to flow, hot and stinging, down her cheeks. Pulling herself up to lie flat on his bed, Taz pressed her face into his pillow, wrapping her arms around it tightly. The pillow softened her sobs and caused them to become quieter, but nothing could heal the pains in her chest. In her heart.

She loved him. She had always loved him, and she knew that now. Up was the one person she could always trust. He had picked her up, turned her into a Starship Ranger. He had been her protector, her mentor, her best friend…But he could have been so much more.

Taz choked back another sob as she thought about it. She had never considered any life like that for herself, but with Up, anything was possible. She never even got the chance to tell him. To kiss him, to love him.

Taz had made a promise to Up a long time ago, to never cry again, to be the toughest son-of-a-bitch out there. But now Up was gone, and that particular memory was bittersweet.

"_Te Amo _Up." Taz whispered, pressing her hands up against her eyes to try and stop the tears. Even though he was gone, he would want her to stay strong, right? "_Lo siento… Es culpa mía, cuanto lo siento…" _If Up hadn't have tried to save her, if she hadn't been stupid enough to be caught by the robots, Up would still be alive. And she would never forgive herself for that.

**Translations (roughly hah):**

**Te Amo : I love you**

**Lo Siento: I'm Sorry**

**Es culpa mía, cuanto lo siento: It's my fault, I'm so sorry.**


	18. Proving Your Worth

Taz had been at the Academy less than a day, and she was already irritated and annoyed. Why? Simple reason. The girls in her dormitory. There were four female dormitories, with four girls in each, and Taz could honestly say she hated every girl in hers.

They were air-headed, stupid, and they hated her. Immediately, they were all over her, asking her about Up, making jeering comments like "Is he a good kisser?" and "you must be, for him to accept you into the Academy like this."

Taz ignored them for a while, preferring to pack her things rather than dignify them with a response. Eventually however, one of them was stupid enough to pull her hair to try and get a response. Immediately, Taz turned and slammed her into the wall by her throat, gripping her tightly. The other girls gasped in shock, and the girl Taz was holding could only stare wide-eyed.

"Jou listen to me, and jou listen good." Taz snarled, her accent becoming much thicker the angrier she got. "Up accepted me into dis Academy, because he saw me destroy a fucking robot with a rake. I got into dis Academy cos I am a hard worker, and I am determined. So if all of jou know what is best for jou-" she tightened her grip, and the girl whimpered slightly. "Jou will leave me alone."

Taz released the girl, and immediately, she ran to her friends, the three of them staring at her with wide-eyes. Sighing slightly, Taz turned and walked out of the room, needing to go for a walk to calm herself. She wasn't sure where she was going to go, she just knew she needed to get away.

**linebreaklinebreak**

Before long, Taz found herself in front of the gym, and pushed open the door, stopping short when she saw Up had a class in here of second years. Remaining quiet, Taz slipped into the corner, watching as Up floored one cadet after another in the sparring ring. She smiled slightly, none of them had even laid a finger on him, and she had personally managed to bruise him once or twice.

"Yer all hopeless!" Up was growling, after beating the final Ensign down with very little effort. "I know someone a hell of a lot younger than you who can fight better than you lot, and she's a girl, can you believe it?"

Taz felt a surge of pride as she realised he was talking about her, and grinned, stepping out of the shadows.

"How much jou wanna bet I could whip all dere asses and not get a scratch on me?" she joked, moving over to pick up some weights. Up grinned at her and winked, causing her to flush slightly and look away quickly.

"_Her?_" one of the Cadets asked in obvious disbelief, and Taz turned to glare at him, only to see that Up was doing the same.

"Taz, get in the ring." Up stated, anger laced in his tone. Taz didn't argue, instead, she simply climbed over the ropes and cracked her knuckles. She was sick of people underestimating her, of judging her, because she was small, or because she was a girl. "Parker, get yer ass off the floor and fight her. We'll see you sneer when she's done with you."

The Cadet named Parker simply smirked and stood up, looking at his friends with a cocky grin. Taz felt the anger surge through her again, but as Parker moved into a stance, Taz immediately noticed his weaknesses and internally smirked. This was going to be easy.

"Go." Up said sharply, and Parker moved forward to hit her, but immediately, Taz blocked him and dealt a swift punch to the gut, momentarily winding him. Moving deftly, Taz ducked another punch and then swept out her foot, knocking him over. Immediately, she was straddled on his back, twisting his arm behind his back and holding him there.

"Easy." Taz smirked, ignoring the Cadet's moans of pain from underneath her. "Up, is dis all jou can challenge me with?" She stood up, dusting her hands off. She turned away, and immediately, Parker was on his feet, reaching for her, looking furious. Up growled, but Taz was quicker, and she grabbed his wrist, and using his weight against him, managed to flip him over her shoulder and onto the floor. With a scowl, she twisted his wrist until she heard a sharp crack, and his howl of pain and nodded grimly. Stepping back beside Up, she narrowed her eyes. "Anyone else?" she asked, and then smirked as another Cadet stepped into the ring. This was going to be fun.

**linebreaklinebreak**

Taz was quite pleased with herself. Only a few of the Cadets had managed to get a few hits in, and that was only because she let her guard down for a moment. Their lesson was over now, and Taz was leaning against the ropes, watching them go. Some looked at her in respect, and others called out goodbye to her as they passed, and Taz felt her lips spread into a wide grin. Parker and his friends glared at her as they passed, but she could care less about that. The other second-years respected her!

"You did amazing." Up mumbled in her ear, and Taz turned her smile onto him, and he chuckled.

"All because of Jou, Up. Jou taught me everything I know!"

"Ah, I know. But you've taken all that I taught you and you blended it into your own style. It was really impressive to see you fight today." Up told her, and Taz shrugged nonchalantly.

"To be honest, I was just really annoyed and I needed someone to talk to, or something to beat up." She said with a small grin. "So I came here, and I got to do both. Two birds, one stone, I think the saying is."

"Killing two birds with one stone." Up agreed, and then raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Wait, so why were you annoyed?"

Taz sighed, shrugging her shoulders slightly. "De girls in my dorm are complete air-heads!" she finally burst out, stamping her foot in irritation. "Dey're just so- Ugh! And I really just hate- ARGH!"

"I didn't get a word of that."

"The girls in my dorm are bitches and dey think I only got into the Academy because I'm sleeping with jou!"

Up stared at her for a moment, his jaw slack. Taz could understand his disbelief, after all- She was FIFTEEN years old, she wasn't going to be sleeping with anybody anytime soon, and especially not to get into an Academy!

"They've got some nerve…" Up scowled, narrowing his eyes. "I hate people who go around shootin' their mouths off with some stupid rumours. Don't you worry Taz, they won't be sayin' anything when I'm done with them."

Taz smiled, nodding her head slightly. She believed Up, and she didn't have a reason to not believe him, because he had never lied to her yet, and was nothing but brutally honest with her. She wandered away from him slightly, turning around and raising her fists slightly. Up smirked and pulled himself up off the ropes before shifting into a similar position.

And then the fight began.

Wandering back to her room after her shower, Taz reflected on how her day turned from being so terrible, to being absolutely amazing just because of Up's protectiveness and his belief in her. To be honest, she didn't really mind if Up was her only friend in the Academy, because he was all she really needed. He was loyal, sweet, funny, protective and decent. And that was all that Taz needed in a friend.


	19. Battle

This was probably the biggest battle Taz had to be involved in. She had been in smaller ones, on alien planets, such as the battle with the Wiynr, but that had been a year ago. She was twenty years old now, and she hadn't changed much. One thing, that had however, was that she kept the short hair that the Wiynr had cut.

It was much more practical to have it short, and she felt, personally that it just enhanced her strength, showing that she wasn't just some weak female. She was tough. The short hair had been styled into an impressive Mohawk type style, though it was a lot less spiky, and much more natural. The two long strands of hair by the side of her head had stayed however, and now, a red bandanna was always tied around her forehead and the back of her head to complete the image.

Up had agreed that it had suited her, though he didn't mention he did kind of miss her long curls. The shorter hair was a lot more practical, and either way, Taz was still beautiful to him…Not that he'd ever admit that out loud.

The battle the two of them were involved in however wasn't on an alien planet. It was on Earth, and it was against the robots. They were trying to invade America, and Up's squadron had been one of the many chosen to help defend the country. Up was confident that with Taz at his side as his lieutenant, he would have no trouble keeping all of his team alive.

Turning to them, he grit his teeth as he tried to think of something that would motivate them to fight at their best, whilst at the same time, would cause them not to go out there and be stupidly reckless. He already had Taz on his team, he didn't need any more reckless soldiers.

"Alright you lot." Up began gruffly, and the group glanced over at him, Taz shooting him a strained smile. "This is a pretty intense battle you're gonna be chucked into right now, and I'm just gonna say this. You're all goin' out there today to fight against those bastard robots and protect our people. But I'll tell you all NOW. If any of you go out there and are stupid enough to get yourselves killed in the fight because of your own stupidity, then trust me, you aint gonna be greetin' Dead-God when you die. Either way, you're all heroes to me right now, and we've got America countin' on us, so let's not let 'em down!"

"Jou said it Commander!" Taz called out, saluting, and immediately the rest of the Squadron began to cheer and salute him too. Up gave Taz a small wink, and her lips curved into a tiny smile in response.

"Alright then team." Up continued, picking up his gun, his jaw set in a grimace. "Let's kick some robot ass."

**Linebreaklinebreak**

Taz swore as she dived to her left, avoiding the rubble which had almost fell on top of her. She wasn't sure where the rest of her team was, having been separated from them at least half an hour into the battle. Yelling and gunfire filled the smoke filled air, and Taz was almost transported back to her fifteenth birthday, but snapped herself out of it. Now wasn't the time to daydream.

"Lieutenant Taz!" A voice bellowed, and Taz glanced to her left to see that Commander Hupes was beckoning her over. Her eyes widened when she saw the large number of robots he and his squadron were trying and failing to push back, and immediately ran forward with a battle cry, firing at the robots to lend them a helping hand.

Eventually, with her help, the group managed to push back the robots, and Taz fell back to talk to Hupes, who was swearing slightly.

"Why aren't you with your Squadron?" he asked, and she could see the real question in his eyes; _'Why aren't you with Up?' _

"Separated." Taz replied grimly, checking she was fully loaded with ammo. "Den I got flanked by a load of them and had to retreat slightly."

"Shit." Hupes muttered. "We need reinforcements."

"We need a distraction and possible sacrifice." Taz corrected him, her eyes narrowed, as an extremely crazy plan worked its way into her mind.

"Lieutenant, what are you planning?" Hupes asked, extremely wary. Taz simply gave him a grim smile and turned, showing him the three grenades strapped to her hip. Two were normal sized, but the third was larger, and black in colour, and Hupes eyes widened in shock. "Taz- No!"

"Sorry Commander, I'm not a member of jour squadron." Taz replied, taking a few steps back. "Tell Up I'm sorry, alright?" she then turned and ran towards one of the larger buildings which the robots were beginning to pass. If she could successfully destroy the foundations of that building, then in theory, the whole thing would collapse on top of them and destroy a large majority of the robots in the process.

There was just no guarantee she was going to get out of it alive.

Taz dived, rolled and leaped through the battlefield, shooting at robots as she passed, letting out a fierce war cry to try and gain their attention. She ran into the building, kicking down the door and pulled out the pin of the largest grenade and placed it in the area she knew would hit the foundations best. This particular grade had been specifically designed by the G.L.E.E. To have a particular timer, and only detonate when the user was ready for it to do so.

Taz turned as she heard several robots begin to file into the room after her, and immediately ran for the staircase, heading straight for the second floor, the robots in close pursuit.

**Linebreaklinebreak**

Up swore loudly as he pushed back some more of the robot bastards, covered in rubble dust from when one of the sentinels had shot down a building and it had almost collapsed on top of him. He was going to be honest with himself, it didn't look good. He glanced around to see if all of his team were still alive. They were. Good.

Taz. Where was Taz? Up froze, only just moving out of the way in time as he realized his Lieutenant was missing from the ranks. Shit! How could he not have noticed that she was gone? Cursing himself slightly, he backed up and glanced around, desperately searching for her.

"Parker, Where's Taz?" Up yelled at the Ensign, who looked up, startled.

"Haven't seen her since the battle started, Commander!" Parker replied, quickly pulling the pin out of the grenade he was holding before he threw it over his rubble he was hiding in, straight into the centre of the robots marching towards them. Up didn't flinch as the robots all exploded and some of the others whistled in appreciation.

"Shit." Up muttered, furrowing his eyebrows. "Nice shot."

"Up!" The Commander turned, raising an eyebrow when he saw Hupes running over to him. Odd, Hupes usually never left his post. "Up, Thank Dead God I found you. It's Taz- She's doing something really stupid again…And I mean REALLY stupid. As in, 'she might not live' kind of stupid."

Up's eyes widened slightly, and Hupes continued without Up even needing to ask.

"She didn't tell me what she was planning- but she didn't need to. It was written all over her face. You see that scraper?" Hupes pointed at the large building nearby. "She's got one of the experimental grenades, and the robots are marching past that building right now."

"She's gonna blow it." Up said, his eyes widening. "Then she'll…SHIT!" He turned to Parker, his eyes wide. "Parker. I'm going after the Lieutenant. You're in charge, try not to get everyone killed!"

"Yes, sir!" Parker yelled, and without another word, Up took off in the direction that Hupes had pointed out, his heart hammering in his chest. This was why he wanted to keep an eye on Taz. She was a fantastic soldier, determined. The only issue was she would do anything if it meant taking down robots, even killing herself in the process.

He just hoped he could make it in time.

**Linebreaklinebreak**

Taz smiled grimly, backing up against the window as the robots advanced on her. She held two small grenades in both hands, which the robots weren't able to see, and they laughed mechanically as they advanced towards her.

"End of the line. Huh-Man." One of them stated, and Taz shot it a cocky grin, her jaw jutting out slightly.

"Maybe. But at least I can take all of jou out along with me."

She took a step back as the robots began to advance again, feeling her heart pounding in her chest, adrenaline pumping around her body.

"See jou in hell, bitches."

She pulled the pins on her grenades suddenly and threw them, causing them to land by the robots feet. They aimed at her, readying to fire, but Taz had turned and ran to the window. Smashing through the glass, she hit a button on her belt as she plummeted towards the earth, and then the world exploded.

**Linebreaklinebreak**

Up was close to the doors when it happened. He heard the smashing of glass, looked up and saw Taz falling to the ground. He opened his mouth to scream her name, but was knocked off his feet by the force of the explosion coming from the bottom floor of the Scraper. Groaning, wincing, Up heard two more explosions, and his eyes widened slightly as the whole building began to topple forwards as flames began to pour out of the windows.

Up turned, panicked, only to see Taz's broken body lying on the ground, singed slightly from the explosion that happened just as she jumped from the building. He ran towards her immediately, praying to a God who was no longer there, that she was going to live through this. Bending down beside her, he checked her breathing and was relieved to find that she was still alive. It looked like she had probably broken her arm though, and she would definitely be bruised after this.

Up's eyes widened, and he grabbed Taz before rolling out of the way of the falling tower as it fell, smashing and destroying thousands of robots immediately. His eyes widened as he watched it, and he stared down at Taz in disbelief.

"Crazy son-of-a-bitch." He muttered, grinning slightly. The odds were definitely in their favour now. He looked down at Taz as she slowly opened her eyes and groaned. "C'mon Taz…Wake up. We're in the middle of a warzone here."

"Up…?" Taz slowly mumbled, and sat up, rubbing her head with a grimace. She glanced over his shoulder and her eyes widened. "Up look out!"

Up began to turn but let out a strangled hiss of pain as he felt several bullets pierce his shoulder and upper back, and slumped forward onto Taz slightly, trying not to lose consciousness.

"Up!" Taz cried again, wrapping her arms around him, her eyes still wide. She was too weak to push him off of her, and he couldn't move himself. "Shit!" she swore, as the robot who shot the bullets approached them, it's glowing red eyes staring into her own. Taz's breath caught in her throat, and she closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around Up tightly.

The sound of Zapper-fire assaulted her ears suddenly, and she opened her eyes wide, looking up as Hupes destroyed the robot, his mouth set in a scowl.

"You alright Taz?" He asked sharply, and Taz nodded, her arms still around Up.

"I'm fine- Up got hit though." She replied, looking down at him with a worried frown.

Hupes walked over and pulled one of Up's guns out of his holsters before handing it to Taz, who took it with a frown. Hupes then pulled Up onto his feet and gripped onto him tightly. Taz weakly pulled herself up, wincing when she moved her arm too much, but wrapped it around Up too, helping to support him.

"The nearest Med Tent is about ten minutes away from here." Hupes told her grimly, and Taz set her jaw firmly, shooting several robots in the back of their heads as they began to move forward.

"He can make it dat far." She replied, her eyes narrowed. "I know he can."

**Linebreaklinebreak**

Once they had safely made it to the Medical-Tent, Taz didn't stay around for long. She felt overwhelmed with guilt, knowing that Up wouldn't have been injured if he had never tried to help her. She was relieved to hear the Medical Officers say he was alive, but then she felt sick when they told her that they needed to send him back to the Starships straight away.

She had left shortly after that, taking Up's other gun before she left. She felt furious with the robots, and with herself. She had taken out thousands of robots with one stupid plan, but she could have lost her best friend in the process.

Taz smiled grimly as she surveyed the fight. Not many robots were left. She was going to end this. For Up.

For all of them.


	20. Surgery

**A/N – This takes place just after the 'Loss' Oneshot. Taz is in Up's room, and believes him to be dead. So here is the follow up to that! - Because someone wanted more Taz and Up after his Injury. There's another part after this too!**

Taz wasn't sure how long she lay there, on Up's bed, just recounting memories. All of the good times, and all of the bad times. No matter what, they were still memories of Up, but she couldn't help but feel that knowing him for eight years hadn't been enough. She wouldn't even be alive if it weren't for him, he had given up everything he had to her, and he was the only family she had left, but now, because of the robots, he was gone too.

"Taz?" A voice called through the doors, and Taz closed her eyes. Hupes. She wasn't sure if she wanted to deal with anybody right now, let alone another one of Up's friends. "Taz, I know you're in there, I need to talk to you. It's about Up."

Taz just wanted to scream at him to leave, to go away and leave her alone, but she couldn't form the words. Instead, she simply sat on his bed, staring into a photo frame which she had found on his bedside table, of the two of them. Lightly, she ran her finger over Up's smiling face, and then froze when Hupes spoke again.

"Taz- He's alive!"

Hupes stepped back slightly as the doors opened faster than he had expected, and the small, beaten Mexican girl wearing Up's clothes glared up at him fiercely.

"What do jou mean, _idiota?" _she demanded, her voice hoarse from both crying and misuse. "I saw it happen, dere's no way dat-" she trailed off, and glared up at him, but Hupes could see the hopeful glint in her eyes, and knew that a part of her desperately wanted to believe him.

"He's alive." Hupes insisted, and he too looked tired and wan. "But at a serious price. They only managed to recover half of his body-" Taz winced. "But where others may have seen a corpse, Dr Space Claw saw…Potential." He sounded disgusted, and Taz frowned. What was Lector planning with Up? Hupes hesitated for a moment before he continued. "Taz-" He began. "Space Claw is a master in robotics. Recently, his interest has been in cybernetics, or rather, how to connect man and machine."

"Yeah, but how-" Taz froze, her eyes widening in realization. "No…No he didn't…Hupes, tell me he didn't!"

Hupes sighed, shaking his head slowly. "I'm sorry Taz. But there was no-one to speak up against Space Claw on this, so the surgery went ahead. They haven't woke him up yet, but he's alive."

"Half alive." Taz interjected, her eyes blazing. "Only half of him is alive. The other half of him is a…" she shut her eyes, not wanting to say the word. _Robot._

"But he's still Up." Hupes said sharply. "And he's going to need you. Or would you rather he still be dead?"

"No!" Taz cried, her eyes opening wide. "Of course I don't want him dead! – I just-" she paused, and frowned. "I'm just worried dat when he wakes up, he'll wish he was." She felt Hupes grip her shoulder slightly, and then looked up at him, suddenly determined. "Take me to him. Please."

Hupes nodded, and began to steer her in the direction of the medical bay. Taz almost stumbled several times, but caught herself just in time, her jaw set in determination. Hupes considered offering to carry her, but held back, knowing he'd only receive a glare in return. He had seen how bruised her legs were, and knew she shouldn't be walking right now, but Up was the only person who could tell Taz what to do.

Grimacing, he walked into the Medical Bay, ignoring the doctors as they swarmed around, all making sounds of relief to see the Lieutenant with him.

"She'll rest later." Hupes said sharply, as Taz glared at them all furiously. "She needs to see the Commander, or she isn't going to rest at all."

Ignoring the noises of protest the doctors made, Hupes pushed through the double doors into the surgery room, and stiffened when he saw that Space Claw was stood there, watching them in slight amusement.

Taz tensed slightly, but then her breath caught in her throat when she saw a figure lay on the table, strapped to several machines. Ignoring Hupes and Space Claw now, she moved forward, her whole body trembling slightly. There he was- He didn't look too different save a missing moustache, but Taz could see, when she looked closely, that his entire right side of his body had a metallic look to it, and slowly, reluctantly, Taz reached out and traced a finger down the middle of his chest, where human and robot connected. Her hand moved over to his right side, to press against the robot side of his chest, and it felt cold, empty. Slowly, Taz roved her hand to the left side, and pressed her hand against the warm skin firmly, and a small gasp broke through her lips as she felt the steady beat of his heart under her fingertips.

Space Claw was saying something behind her, but she paid him no attention, her hands moved up to cup Up's left cheek in her hand. He looked so strange without a moustache – So much younger and so less fierce. Her eyes roved upwards slightly, and her breath caught in her throat when they locked onto his ocean blue ones. Still exactly the same as they were before, and suddenly Taz knew that even though he was half a robot, it was still her Up. He was human, and very much alive.

"Up." She breathed, keeping her eyes locked onto him, drinking in every detail. His lips curved into a wry, half smile, and slowly, he brought his hand up to cup her cheek, and Taz immediately held his hand there, trying to remember the sensation.

"Taz." He mumbled, sounding tired and confused. "You've been crying."

It wasn't a question, and Taz managed a shaky smile, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Jou scared me, _idiota. _I thought jou were dead…"

"Nah- Takes more than a robot to bring me down…" he paused for a moment, looking confused. "Hey Taz- I can't feel my right side…"

Taz inhaled sharply. She couldn't deal with this. Not now. She'd only just got him back, she wanted to enjoy this moment. She couldn't hold it off forever however, because Up's eyes were boring into hers.

"Taz, what happened to me?" He asked quietly, and Taz shook her head, feeling angry tears pool into her eyes.

"Jou shouldn't have tried to save me!" She cried, gripping onto the shirt she was wearing tightly, so she wouldn't hit anything. "Jou left jourself open, and now-" her voice broke as she stared at him, and he was watching her, wide-eyed. "I'm so sorry, Up…"

"Taz-"

"Dey needed to perform a surgery…To save jou- but at a price." Taz continued, and her hand found his, squeezing it slightly. "Up- Jou can't feel jour right side because jour right side… it- it isn't human anymore."

Taz saw Up's eyes widen in complete disbelief before he turned his head slightly to stare in shock at the right side of his body. His eyes took in the metallic sheen of his arm, the way he couldn't move it, and his mouth opened in stunned disbelief.

"A robot…" he whispered, and Taz shook her head vehemently. No. He wasn't a robot, and he should never believe that.

"Jou are a HUMAN." Taz stressed, and he looked up at her once again, though she could see the reluctance to believe her in his eyes. "As long as jour heart beats in jour chest, jou are human, and very much alive."

"Yeah…" Up said quietly, and let his hand fall out of her hers. He looked away, staring pointedly at the wall, and Taz flinched slightly. "I'm really grateful ya came to see me Taz, but…D'you mind if I think this over, alone for a bit?"

"Sure." Taz replied quietly, and stood, slowly backing up out of the room. Ignoring Hupes and Space Claw, she walked silently towards the exit, but was stopped by two doctors.

"Lieutenant, we must insist that you rest here, where we can keep an eye on you." One of them said quickly, and Taz sighed, too tired to argue. Slowly, she dropped onto a bed, pushing away the hospital gown they tried to give her.

"I'll sleep in dese." Taz muttered, feeling slightly relieved once she had lay down. Her legs stopped hurting so much anyway, and now she could really just appreciate how tired she really was. Ignoring the doctors injecting her with something, Taz closed her eyes and willed herself to sleep, trying not to think about the way Up had looked at himself, with loathing.

Her last thought before she lost consciousness, was that she would do everything within her power to help him feel happy again.


	21. Rehabilitation

**A/N - This takes place after the last one, And is basically Up starting Rehab. **

"Two more push-ups Commander, and then we can take a break!"

Up hated that voice. It was so pushy, so cheerful, and he had quickly found that he'd much prefer hearing Taz bellowing at him, telling him to not be such a wimp, rather than that voice.

Unfortunately, Taz had her own rehabilitation session to attend to, to help heal her legs, so he was left with the chipper nurse, and his own irritation. His aim, or so he was told, was to calibrate his robotic side so it moved in synch with his human side. The training was hard, and it was most certainly tough, and there were times when Up just wanted to give in and call it quits. Then, however, Taz would visit, and just seeing her was enough to lift Up's spirits. Her fierce optimism about his injury was enough to drive him to work harder, and do his best to regain his old-self.

As optimistic as Taz made him however, there was something wrong. He wasn't really fighting for himself anymore, he was only fighting for her, and sometimes even that wasn't enough. Truth be told, he didn't have any balls. (Literally, he lost them in the attack.)He was soft, weak. He knew Taz wanted everything to go back to being how it used to be, and he wanted it to, he really did. It just wasn't going to work out that way.

Finishing his push-ups for the day, Up leaned back in his seat, breathing heavily and hating how weak he had become. Since when did 20 push-ups a day count as difficult to him? He was Commander Up, for dead god's sake! 20 push-ups was NOTHING to him in the past, but now, he was struggling.

"Morning Up!"

Up glanced at the door at the voice, and almost smiled when Taz walked in, dressed in his t-shirt again. He loved to see her in his clothes, for two main reasons. One, It showed that she really trusted and cared for him, and two, she just looked adorable.

"Mornin' Taz." He greeted, raising his human hand in greeting. Taz narrowed her eyes slightly, and Up sighed before raising his robotic arm instead, wincing slightly. He glanced down at her legs as she approached and noted, with some satisfaction, that her bruises were almost healed. It had been almost a month since the fight, and neither of them had fully recovered, but that gave them more time to spend together. "Hold on a second." Up suddenly stated, narrowing his eyes at Taz as she unceremoniously sat on his lap – something he loved about her these days – "Aint you supposed to have a rehab session today?"

"Skipped it." Taz replied with a shrug, not looking too concerned. "I don't even need it. I can walk just fine, de bruises are just…not going away."

"Taaaaz" Up groaned, lightly wrapping an arm around her waist. "I thought we'd talked about this. Ya gotta go to your rehab sessions, or you're not gonna get outta here."

"Is dat such a bad thing?" Taz asked finally, and Up looked at her with a frown, his eyes questioning, and Taz sighed, shrugging her shoulders slightly. "If I get discharged, dey're gonna reassign me. New team...New Commander."

Up winced. He had a hard time picturing Taz with any other Commander than him. They were a team now, the legendary Up and Taz. It was rumoured that they even knew what each other were thinking. It was all bullshit, of course, but that was just how close they were. These days, they weren't known as a separate being, it was always Taz and Up. The duo.

"Ya gotta go to rehab Taz." Up finally said, leaning his head against hers gently. "You can't stay stuck in here waitin' for me. The Rangers need you."

"Jou need me too." Taz said immediately, and Up's lips curved up into a smile, though she couldn't see. "I've always said my first loyalty is to jou, and den de Rangers."

"Taz." Up said firmly, and Taz reluctantly turned to look at him. "I know ya wanna stay here with me, and I'll be honest, I really want ya with me for this…But without you, the Rangers don't have too many fierce fighters. You're an incredible Lieutenant, and you can do much better work out there than you can do stuck here with me."

Up blinked as Taz's arms wrapped around his neck in a tight hug, and she buried her head in the crook of his neck. Slowly, he forced his arms to wrap around her, trying not to regret what he had told her to do. Slowly, she pulled herself away, and looked him in the eyes.

"Promise me jou'll build jourself up again." She said quietly, pressing her forehead against his. "So I can be reassigned to jou again."

"I promise." He whispered, trying to fight back the sudden urge to cry. "I'll be back on duty in no time…Just watch me."

Taz smiled and then hesitated, and when Up thought she was going to say something more, she did something that surprised him.

She kissed him.

It was short, sweet and completely wonderful. Her lips were soft against his, and she tasted surprisingly of vanilla, and he wondered if that was her lip balm. She pulled away just as quickly, staring at him like she couldn't believe what she had just done.

"Goodbye." She finally managed to say, and then she was off his lap, and was gone.

He didn't see her again after that for a long time.

**Linebreaklinebreak**

Up didn't mean to lie to Taz when he told her that he promised he'd be back on duty. He had tried – He had really tried to keep that promise. But the doctors had told him he'd have to spend another two years at the rehabilitation centre because he still wasn't 'himself'. Honestly? Up didn't think he'd ever be himself.

Without Taz around, he just didn't have the right motivation to push himself. He tried, he really tried, but everything was just so different. Whenever he thought about Taz, he just felt sick, sick when he thought of her fighting out there. _Scared _that she was going to get herself killed, and he'd never see her again.

He was scared of a lot of things these days.

He was scared Taz would die, he was scared of going back out to fight, and he was scared of robots.

Dead God. He was scared of robots. Could he really ever fight them again? He had heard that the robots had pretty much all been destroyed, but that didn't mean they were all completely gone, and that thought terrified him.

"Good news Commander!"

Up glanced at the nurse as she approached, looking slightly surly. Good News? Did they get to do push-ups today? Hooray. Instead of looking put out by his lack of enthusiasm, the nurse simply smiled wider.

"They're releasing you and reassigning you to a colonization mission! Isn't that great?"

Up froze at her words, trying to allow the words to sink in. He was going to get out of here, he was going to go back on a mission – maybe this would help him regain his old confidence, help him be the man he once was. Maybe.

**Linebreaklinebreak**

Up smiled wryly at the Ambassador as he was handed his reassignment form, and saluted him briefly as a thank you. At least he still remembered the old formalities, that was still a start. Smiling slightly, Up scanned the list and looked at the Ensigns he would be taking on.

_Krayonder Jackson_

_Marie Enman (Technology Expert)_

_Tootsie Noodles_

_February Maden (Science Officer)_

Hesitating slightly, Up glanced further down the sheet, looking for his Lieutenant-Commander, who would be on the expedition by his side.

_Lieutenant-Commander: Taz Lopez._

Up let out a breath he didn't know he was holding as he stared at her name on the paper. Two Years. It had been two whole years since he had seen her last, and he wasn't sure what he should think. He had changed so much, breaking down at the smallest thing, surely she didn't want anything to do with him now.

But he had to try, right?

**A/N- CUE STARSHIP. Sort of. XD But yeeeah. Don't worry, i'm not done! Not for a long shot!**


	22. Calculus

Taz moaned loudly, holding her head in her hands. This was hopeless, she was never going to get this done. She glared at the mountain of books in front of her, her eyes bloodshot and tired. She had been sat at this particular table at the library for at least one whole day and one whole night. She hadn't eaten or slept, she just studied. And it was killing her.

Pushing the books away from her body, she allowed her head to slump against the desk and she closed her eyes heavily. She was never going to get this done.

"Taz? What're you doin'?"

"Trying to sleep." Taz replied, refusing to look up at the sound of Up's voice. She felt him lean against the table and then pick up one of the books, studying the cover curiously.

"Differential Calculus?" Up asked, his tone surprised, and Taz let out another small moan at the word, burying her head further into the nest she had created with her arms.

"And integral." She replied, her voice muffled slightly. "I was told I had to complete exams for Science, English and Math before I could continue with my studies… It's so _estúpido! _I can do Science and English better den I can do math! And English isn't even my first language!"

"Alright, Taz." Up said, sounding slightly amused, and Taz glanced up to glare at him slightly, to see that he was grinning. "I'm willing to strike a deal with you."

"And what's that?" Taz asked sharply, her eyes narrowed.

"If you take a break, get something to eat and have a nap for a while, and just rest yourself, then I will teach you calculus." Up replied, holding one of the books up in the air.

"Jou will teach me?" Taz asked, her tone sceptical. "Are jou any good at calculus?"

"Well I knew enough to pass, and I can remember the basics." Up replied, placing the book back down again. "And realistically, all you need to know are the basics, because then you apply them to any problem."

Taz stared at him for a few more moments before she nodded, her shoulders slumping. As much as she hated to admit it, she needed help. Reluctantly, Taz nodded her head.

"Okay." She finally relented. "I'll take a break and relax for today if jou promise to teach me Calculus, so I don't fail dis exam."

Up grinned and lightly swatted her over the head. "Good. Now go eat and get some sleep."

"I can't handle sleeping in de girls dorm." Taz moaned slightly, pulling herself up onto her feet. "Dey're all just gonna wake me up giggling and doing girly things dat I can't appreciate because I'm too 'manly'" She sneered slightly, and Up raised an eyebrow. He wasn't aware she was still having trouble with her dorm mates.

"Well just go to sleep in my room," Up shrugged, not looking too concerned. "Its voice activated, so you can get in there without my help, and I don't mind ya sleepin' in my bed Taz, you know that."

"_Gracias,_ Up." Taz smiled, giving him a weary smile. She loved sleeping in Up's room. It felt so much more cosy than her own dorm, and she felt so much more relaxed there. If she could, she would probably move into his room with him, but she knew that was stupid. Raising a hand in farewell, Taz made her way out of the library and down to the mess-hall to grab a bite to eat.

**LinebreakLinebreak**

When Taz awoke, she felt very well-rested and very comfortable. However, when she became more aware of her surroundings, she found that Up was asleep beside her, his arm draped over her shoulders, and her arm draped over his chest, almost as if she was trying to hug him in her sleep. She flushed at how close they were and glanced over at the clock: 5.30am.

Taz pursed her lips together slightly and instead of getting up; she simply curled up beside him again and closed her eyes, relaxing until a time that Up himself awoke.

When he did finally awake, he smiled down at Taz tiredly, and she gave him a small smile in return, sitting up and stretching her body out. Up also sat up, muttering something about coffee and moved to his closet, causing Taz to smirk.

"_Gracias _for letting me stay with jou, Up. I really appreciate it." She told him, and Up simply chuckled, turning to face her.

"_De nada, _Taz. Now go on and get dressed. Calculus lessons start at 7.00am sharp. You've got half an hour."

Taz grimaced but did as she was told, heading back to her dorm. The girls were still asleep, so Taz was able to easily change, telling herself she'd shower later, and then headed down to the mess-hall to eat.

She smiled as she saw Up sat at their usual table, cradling a coffee cup like it was the single most beautiful and precious object on the earth. She grabbed her own coffee and a croissant before sitting beside him, taking a long gulp of coffee as she did so. She had a feeling she was going to need all the coffee she could get this morning.

"Ready for Calculus?" Up asked in a mock cheerful tone, and Taz shot him a look of complete and utter disgust, which only served to make him smirk and go back to his coffee in a nonchalant manner.

"I'm looking forward to it like I look forward to being beat up by robots." Taz muttered as a response, and Up snorted.

"It aint that bad Taz."

"For jou, maybe."

"You're just annoyed that there's actually somethin' you can't do."

"Shut up, _Idiota!"_

**LinebreakLinebreak**

"This is HOPELESS!" Taz finally decided, glaring in pure hatred at the books in front of her. Up watched her with some exasperation, feeling a headache begin to form. Taz had been right. She really had NO idea about Calculus. He didn't blame her for not understanding it, it didn't come easily to a lot of people, but her reactions were starting to wear him down.

She just got so angry when she couldn't figure out how to work it out, and she just decided that giving up was the only option for her.

"Taz-" Up sighed, shaking his head. They had been at this for two hours, with little to no results. "Listen to me, alright? Not everyone can get it right the first time. Think of this like sparring."

"Sparring is a lot more fun!" Taz argued, frowning slightly, and Up nodded.

"Yeah, but the principle of trying is the same. Okay. How long did it take for you to actually hit me the first time we sparred?"

"A while." Taz admitted, grimacing slightly. Truth be told, it had taken her a LONG time.

"Exactly. But you kept getting back up ,and you kept trying until you finally cracked it. Calculus is just like that. It's not easy, and you just wanna give up sometimes, but you can't. You need to keep trying, otherwise you'll never land a hit."

Taz stared at him for a moment, running through his words in her mind. Eventually she heaved a heavy sigh and nodded, pulling the book towards her once more.

"Can jou explain dis rule again?"

Success.

"Dead God Taz. I think you've got it!"

Taz grinned at Up, leaning back in her seat in slight relief. It had taken her another three hours, but she had finally cracked all of the problems Up had thrown at her and had gotten all of them right, much to her delight. She would have to practice a little bit more, there was no doubt about that, but Up had been right. She just needed to persevere.

"Now, homework!"

The glare Taz shot him was enough to make Up drop the idea. Five hours was enough calculus for one day, anyway.

**A/N- SO. I need your help! I'm not done with this story yet, but I need some help with ideas. Just drop me a prompt. It could be one word, a phrase… whatever you like! Just help me out! Thanks!**


	23. Always

**A/N – This was based on three prompts by LITERARYjunkie25. Which I merged together XD Rumors, Up gets a girlfriend and angst. **

**Enjoy!**

Taz didn't believe the rumours at first, why should she? All the rumours she had heard about Up in the Academy in the past were all complete rubbish, and she knew that for a fact. She couldn't deny however, that this rumour made her feel particularly uneasy. Mainly because she just hadn't had the chance to even talk to Up about it. He was never there when she visited his room, and when she saw him, he only had time to give her a brief wave before he was caught up in a conversation with someone else.

Seeing the truth with your own eyes however was a completely different thing. The details were a bit sketchy, to tell the truth. She had seen Up in the Academy corridor after finishing one of her lessons, but he hadn't seen her, so she was about to run over and say hello, until _she _made an appearance. All Taz could really remember was seeing her, one of Up's old friends she'd heard, and she had ran over to Up, throwing her arms around him and kissing him.

Taz had frozen on the spot, her mouth hanging open slightly as Up did the one thing she didn't expect him to do. He kissed her back. She was dimly aware of the students muttering around her as they stared at Up and his female friend, locking lips in the middle of the corridor. Then she realized a lot of them were looking back at her, wondering what she would do.

She turned and fled.

She didn't know where she was going. She just needed to get away, to quell that stupid pain in her chest, and to stop those stupid tears trying to build up in her eyes. So it turned out the rumours were true.

Commander Up had a girlfriend.

It wasn't like she didn't EXPECT it. There was no denying that Up was handsome, even she herself had felt that flutter of a teenage crush when she had first seen those ocean blue eyes staring at her. But she had never really imagined Up with a girlfriend before, and it suddenly SCARED her. No wonder Up was hardly around anymore, he was always with her.

Frustrated, Taz reached out and hit her fist against the wall, swearing at the sudden pain. That probably wasn't the best idea. Cradling her hand to her chest, Taz quickly moved towards the gym, not caring that there was already a class inside there, being taught by Hupes. He gave her a questioning glance, but she ignored him and immediately moved towards the treadmill. She turned it up to the highest level and began to run, pushing the memory of Up kissing that woman out of her mind. Why did she care? She was sixteen years old for dead-God's sake. He was twenty-four.

She couldn't really lie to herself that much, maybe she did like him. Just a little, but it was a stupid crush! And she more than anyone knew that nothing would ever come from that. It didn't explain why her chest seemed so constricted however.

Suddenly that memory shot through her mind again, and Taz lost her footing, and the belt of the treadmill suddenly dragged her backwards and she fell, landing on her wrist with a small hiss of pain. Great. The hand she'd punched the wall with was even more injured.

"Taz? Are you alright?" Hupes was saying, and Taz reluctantly looked up at him. He frowned at something he saw in her eyes, and helped her up, lightly taking her wrist in his hand, causing her to wince slightly. "Sprain I think-" he paused, seeing her red knuckles, and Taz flushed, averting her eyes. "What did you do?"

"Don't worry about it." She muttered, feeling embarrassed. "I'll go and bandage it up, no problem."

"Taz…" Hupes began, warily, but Taz simply began to back up, shrugging her shoulders in an unconcerned manner.

"Don't worry about me, Commander. Honestly. I'm okay."

**LinebreakLinebreak**

Taz furiously beat at the punching bag, ignoring the stares she was getting from the class in the room. She knew she could be terrifying, and today was no exception, as she beat the punching bag so severely, Hupes was afraid the thing would be knocked off its chains.

It had been . Since that incident. And Up hadn't even spoken to her. Well, that was half true. He had tried, calling out her name in the corridors, but she had pretended not to hear him, and had went on her way, not sure if she even wanted to speak to him. But if he really wanted to talk to her, he'd try harder, right?

He didn't.

Taz didn't understand it. Okay, she was totally over him having a girlfriend, no really. She was over it. But she was losing her best friend over this. Commander Hupes tried to talk to her, and she appreciated that, liking the Commander and respecting him, but it wasn't the same.

Returning to her room later that evening, after a shower, Taz was perplexed to find a note on her bunk, and her dorm-mates missing. Picking it up, her eyes widened as she saw that it was written distinctly in Up's handwriting.

_Taz,_

_I came to see you earlier, but you were out, and your room mates said they didn't know where you were. Can we meet up in the gardens tonight? About 7.30pm, I really need to talk to you. _

_Up. _

Forward and straight-to-the-point. Taz couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, but she pushed back that thought in the back of her mind irritably. It wasn't really the time for paranoia, Up wanted to talk to her, and that was the important thing. Taz turned quickly to look at the clock and her eyes widened slightly. 7.20pm, she was going to be late.

Quickly, Taz turned and ran out of the room, hoping that she hadn't ruined her chance of patching things up with him. His friendship meant everything to her, and Taz didn't want this to be ruined because of her own stupidity.

Taz quickly made her way to the garden and looked around, lightly chewing on her lip. She couldn't see him, and it was almost dark. Sighing, Taz leaned against a tree and looked down at the floor, hoping that she hadn't missed him. Her heart leapt out of her chest however when she heard footsteps approaching, and she looked up, only to see – _Joe?_

Taz stood up straight immediately, keeping her eyes locked on the boy making his way towards her. He was smiling, but it was cold, and Taz immediately stiffened, sensing a fight about to make itself present.

"What do jou want?" Taz snapped, clenching her fists, and before she could react, she felt two strong grips on her arms and she swore under her breath, struggling to escape. It was a TRAP! And she fell for it. Up didn't want to speak to her at all. That thought made her stomach sink more than the thought of being beaten up did.

"C'mon Tazzie." Joe drawled, lightly trailing a finger down her cheek, and Taz grimaced, pulling her face away from his touch. Creep. "You know, you'd be a pretty hot chick if you dropped all of your hostility. Y'know that?"

"How about jou fuck off." Taz snapped sharply in return, feeling a cold shiver run up her back. She did not like the way he was talking about her. "We both know dat jou're not interested in me like dat. So what do jou REALLY want?"

"Revenge Taz." Joe replied with a smile, idly stroking her cheek with his thumb, and Taz resisted the urge to vomit. She closed her eyes as his face moved closer to hers, and willed herself to do something.

_Idiot! Idiot! Don't just stand here! You've still got legs!_

Taz's eyes opened wide, and she swung her leg forward, successfully nailing Joe right in the groin, and she grinned in satisfaction as his eyes widened in obvious agony, and he fell to the ground, clutching his prized area. Combat boots really did come in handy after all.

"Don't touch me, _bastardo!_" Taz spat, her eyes glinting maliciously. "Dats what jou get, asshole!" She could feel the brutes grip on her arm loosen, and immediately, she pulled herself free. She did the only thing she could do- she ran.

Unfortunately, she didn't get very far. A hand gripped onto her ankle and tripped her up, and Taz cursed as a furious Joe began to drag her back, despite her clawing at the ground, trying to get away.

_Scream for help! _Her mind begged. _Forget your pride! Your life is more important!_

But the nearest rooms were a long way away from the gardens and it was already curfew…Nobody would hear her even if she did scream.

Taz bit back a cry as she felt a hand grip tightly onto her hair, dragging her up onto her feet, before the arms gripped onto her again. Damnit…So close.

Joe walked in front of her, his eyes blazing in hatred. Taz could tell by the look in his eyes that he wasn't going to go easy on her.

"No Up around to save you now." Joe hissed, cracking his knuckles. "Just little Tazzie. All alone."

With a horrible sinking feeling, Taz realized he was right. Up wasn't there. Up wouldn't be there to save her. Up didn't care anymore.

The punch caught her by surprise. She wasn't prepared, so a tiny cry broke free, as her head snapped to the side from the blow. Harder than the last time she remembered. They'd gotten bigger, stronger.

Shit.

Taz held back her cries of pain as Joe beat her to the ground, and then eventually left her there, broken, bleeding and beaten, barely clinging onto consciousness. Slowly, Taz tried to move, but felt as if her whole body was on fire. Slowly, she tried to crawl forwards, but let out a loud cry of pain as she tried to move her arm.

She couldn't even see properly, the darkness aided with that, too. All she could taste and feel on her skin was blood. Her ribs were most probably broken, and she couldn't even think straight. Slowly Taz rested her head against the grass and closed her eyes, trying to even her breathing. There was only one coherent thought in her mind as she lay there, slowly drifting away into unconsciousness, try as she might to fight it back.

'_You promised Up…You promised me you'd always be there for me…'_

**LinebreakLinebreak**

When Taz woke, she was aware of a few things. First, there was a lot of pain. Second, she was in the medical bay. Third, someone was holding onto her hand. Groaning slightly, Taz averted her eyes to the left, and inhaled sharply when she saw Up asleep in a chair by her bed, his hand holding onto hers. Unfortunately, this sudden gasp made her very aware of the pain in her ribs, and before she could stop herself, a tiny yelp of pain burst through her lips. This was subsequently enough for Up to be jolted awake, and he turned to her eyes wide.

"Taz! Oh thank dead God…It's been over a week!"

She'd been out for over a week? That wasn't really surprising though, considering the beating she had been given. Taz simply stared at Up silently, her expression showing no emotion. Up hesitated, and then continued, looking worried.

"I found ya, outside in the garden. I went for a walk, with Allie-"

A wince. Allie. Of course.

"-And there you were, just lyin' there, not movin' or anythin'. You almost gave me a heart attack Taz, Dead God…I'm so SORRY!"

Taz was silent for a few more moments before she spoke, her voice hoarse from not using it for a while.

"_Idiota…_Jou think, that jou can just say sorry- and everything will go back to being de way it was?" she asked quietly, staring him straight in the eyes. "Jou ignored me- for two weeks Up. Two weeks!" she could feel angry tears building up behind her eyes, but she pushed them back irritably. "I didn't care if jou were with her, as long as jou were still my friend! But jou left me! Jou broke jour promise!"

"Taz, I…"

"Stop!" Taz whispered, and now she was struggling to hold back the tears, and her whole body was trembling. "Just go…Up. Please."

She closed her eyes after that, wanting to curl into a ball and just break down in angry tears. She froze as she felt him clasp something around her neck, and then lean back. Apparently he didn't want to leave.

Reluctantly, Taz opened her eyes and looked down. A silver chain with two dogtags hung around her neck, and slowly, Taz picked one up and turned it around, only to see there was an engraving on the back.

'_When you touched my hand for the first time I wanted nothing more than to hold it forever.'_

Taz's breath caught in her throat, and she looked at Up, feeling the tears pooling into her eyes once again.

"Forever means always, Taz." Up said quietly, and she could see the regret in his eyes. "I'm so sorry. Allie and I broke up. I liked her, but we weren't right together. Besides, you're right. I broke my promise, and now I'm going to make it up to you. So I'm going to hold onto you forever. You can count on that."

Ignoring the pain, Taz could only crawl out of her bed, and then she was in his arms, hugging him tightly, her head buried in the crook of his neck. He hugged her back, being mindful of her injures, and whispered apologies into her ear repeatedly.

"I'll never let you go again Taz…I'll be by your side from now on."

_Always._


	24. Cake

**A/N- This one is short, mainly because I'm tired! Thanks Raptor for the prompt!**

Taz whispered her name to Up's voice activated door, and smiled as it opened quietly, revealing the room within. It was 5.00am currently, and Taz was well aware that Up always woke up at 7.00am on the dot, so this gave her two hours to put her plan into action. Now Taz wasn't a morning person by any means, but this was a special occasion. Casually, Taz tip-toed past his bed, and smiled at how peaceful he looked. She then quickly moved to the small adjoining kitchen, quietly shutting the door behind her.

Stage one: Complete.

Now, onto stage two.

**LinebreakLinebreak**

Up woke with a start when he heard a crash from his kitchen, and immediately reached for one of his zappers until he heard a very distinctive Spanish curse. Wearily, Up glanced at his alarm clock and saw that it was 6.30 in the morning, and he grimaced, wondering why Taz was in his kitchen at such an hour. Slowly, tiredly, Up pulled himself out of bed and stretched, stifling a yawn. Maybe she'd had another nightmare or something and was making some hot chocolate to calm herself down. Frowning slightly, Up pushed open the door, and froze at what he saw.

Slowly, his lips pulled up into an amused grin, and he shook his head, unsure with what exactly he was seeing. Taz was stood at the counter, her eyes narrowed and viciously stirring something in a bowl, looking distinctly irritated, and there was what appeared to be cake batter on her cheek. Sneaking up behind her, Up tapped her on the shoulder, and she jumped, almost dropping the bowl.

"What're ya doin'?" Up asked, looking amused, and the fifteen year old turned around to frown at him, her shoulders slumping slightly.

"Jou shouldn't be awake yet." She groaned, shaking her head. "Dis is not going to plan at all."

"The crash woke me up." Up confessed, looking around at his now messy kitchen with a raised eyebrow. "But seriously, what are you doing?"

Taz hesitated for a moment but then shrugged, seeing as though there was nothing she could really say or lie about that would probably convince him.

"Happy birthday?" she offered with a weak smile, and Up chuckled, shaking his head, a smile on his face.

"Aw, Taz. You remembered." He said cheerfully, lightly wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "And you've only known me for five months!"

Taz smiled, wrapping her arms around him in a hug before she looked up at him, her smile bright. "I wanted to make jou a cake, or something." She shrugged. "As a way of saying thanks, I guess for everything- but…" she sighed, looking around the kitchen.

"You're a terrible baker?" Up offered, his tone teasing, and Taz shot him a glare before she finally sighed and nodded in resignation.

"Pretty terrible." She agreed, looking around the kitchen once more, an expression of disgust on her face. "My _mamá _was right – I can't do anything when it comes to de kitchen."

"It's the thought that counts." Up laughed, reaching out to lightly wipe the cake batter from her cheek with his thumb, causing her to blush profusely, but he didn't seem to notice, looking thoughtful. Absently, he licked the batter from his finger and then nodded, looking down at her. "It's not bad, actually." He told her casually, and then shot her a wink that made her insides twist in pleasure, and she smiled widely.

"Thing is Taz, the fact that you actually remembered today when I told you when it was in passing, MONTHS ago, means more to me than a cake ever could. So don't go feelin' bad, alright?" he instructed, chucking her under the chin lightly, and she sighed, but she was still smiling.

"Jou're just trying to make feel better." She eventually decided, but she looked grateful non-the less. She stood on her tip-toes then and pressed a gentle kiss against his cheek, pulling away and biting her lip with a small smile. "Happy Birthday!" she repeated, and then turned away to move to the sink, deciding to start cleaning up the mess she had made for apparently no reason.

Up touched his cheek, looking surprised, but then chuckled, shaking his head with a grin. That girl never ceased to amaze him, and he was genuinely surprised and touched that she had even bothered to remember his birthday. Moving forwards now, Up began to help her clean up, feeling something inside of him lighten slightly at the sight of her smile, directed at him. Over the past few years, he had always spent his birthdays alone, preferring to pretend that they didn't exist, training in the gym to forget about it, but now, he had someone to spend the day with, someone who he cared about.

He did care about her – didn't he? He mused this to himself and was immediately able to come up with an answer. Of course. He had known the girl for five months, but she was already proving herself to be stubborn, hard-headed and a wonderful young woman. She had somehow just slid into his life perfectly without making too much of a fuss or disturbance about it – and he wouldn't have it any other way.


	25. Scars

**A/N – These are quickly becoming shorter and shorter… I'll try and write a longer one at some point, I just keep getting distracted by Tumblr XD **

**Enjoy!**

**Thanks to AlreadyOnMars for the prompt!**

Taz had always been fascinated with Up's growing collection of scars. She was aware of the few she could usually see, such as the one over his left eye, and he had a few on his arms, but Taz knew he had more, though he never really mentioned them. Each scar told a story, in Taz's opinion, and as she lay nestled into the crook of Up's arm one movie night, with the karate kid playing on the TV, she suddenly realised she wanted to know these stories.

"Hey, Up." She said softly, and he glanced at her, raising an eyebrow curiously. She paused for a moment, and then reached up, lightly trailing a finger down the scar over his eye, and he closed both of them at her touch. "I was just wondering, can jou tell me about jour scars?" Even as she asked the question, she realised how stupid it sounded, but Up simply shrugged, not minding in the slightest. He sat up, removing his arm from around her, and pulled off his shirt. Taz tried not to stare and instead focused on the scar that ran across his chest.

"I got this one on m'first mission," Up told her with a small grin. "I was still a rookie. I was kinda stupid – eager to please." Taz hid a smile, thinking that that sounded just like her, when she was a rookie. "I let my guard down for a split second and next thing I knew, I was nursin' a wound to the chest after one o'the robots fired at me, and it grazed me." He lifted a hand and tapped a small, crescent shaped scar on his right shoulder.

"I got this one on our last mission," He informed her, and he noticed Taz flinch ever-so-slightly at the mention of the fight with the Wiynr. It was at least two months ago, but he knew she still had nightmares sometimes. "But it was nothin' too serious, just a minor wound – That scar won't last long."

Taz nodded, idly running her fingers across the scar, and Up tried to avoid shivering at the touch of her fingers on his bare skin. He held up his hands with a small smile, and Taz could see the scars she had already identified before.

"I aint really sure where all of these come from t'be honest," Up shrugged, not really caring. "I think one of 'em was when I punched that robot when we first met." He glanced at her, and they shared a smile. "But most of the others are from weapon training an'-"

"Cooking?" Taz interrupted with a smirk, and Up grinned at her, nodding his head.

"Yeah, an' cooking." He agreed, and pulled up the leg of his pants to show her a scar which ran around his ankle. "I got this one in a battle – I tripped, and a robot grabbed me there, digging into the skin – Almost snapped my foot right off." Taz flinched slightly. He touched a small scar on his chin and one by his left ear. "An' I'm not sure where I got these from." He admitted.

"Jou have so many," Taz said slowly, shaking her head. "I don't know how many I have, but I know it's not nearly as much."

"Y'have eight in total." Up informed her in a very matter-of-fact tone, and Taz looked at him in genuine surprise. He gave her a wry grin and reached up, lightly pushing her bandana to reveal her forehead, where a small scar lay. "You got this one from when the Winyr cut yer hair, and they caught yer skin at the same time." He said quietly, and Taz simply stared at him.

Silently, Up moved his hand down her neck and stopped at the base of it, where another scar lay, and ran his finger over it gently, tracing the shape.

"You got this one in a fight with Joe Alderman." He said, his voice still quiet, and then moved his hands to the bottom of her shirt before he gently, tenderly ran his hands underneath it and trailed his hands up her spine, lightly running over the six new haphazard scars which lay there. "And six from the whip." He finished in a murmur, as Taz shivered slightly.

"Jou remembered dem all?" Taz asked, staring at him in wonder as he pulled his hands away, and he chuckled slightly.

"Naw, I just pay attention, 'sides. It's not really the scars that catch my attention, it's the times that you've been hurt which stick into my memory. And for the record, though I know the scars like the ones on your back show that you have actually suffered…I'm glad you don't have too many other scars – Because that shows that you haven't suffered too much." He paused here, but saw she was about to speak and hurried on. "And I know that y'don't want me fussin' about keepin' y'safe and all, but I can't help but be relieved when you're safe. It's not that I don't think you're capable of handling yourself – I just don't like seeing ya get hurt."

Taz blinked, looking unsure about what she should say for a moment, and then a tiny smile spread across her face, and she wrapped her arms around his chest in a hug. Immediately, his arms wrapped around her in return.

"Jou're right – I don't like jou fussing over me." Taz agreed, looking up at him with raised eyebrows. "But gracias for caring, Up."

"Forever and always, Taz," Up reminded her, lightly pressing a finger against her dog tags as a reminder. "Y'know I've always got your back."

"And I've always got jours." Taz agreed, shooting him a slightly bigger smile, and he grinned in return, leaning back against the sofa once again. Taz turned her attention to the movie once again, enjoying the feel of Up's arm being draped around her waist.


	26. Unity

**A/N – This takes place just before Bug's funeral, during Bug's funeral and just afterwards! It features more of the rangers, but of course is central to Taz and Up. ENJOY!**

**Oh, and for the record, I was given a prompt called 'Taz dies.' I've actually written this - But I'm probably only going to post that when I finally finish writing these oneshots. - As a sort of finale I guess lol.**

It had been a long two hours. Up, Megagirl and Tootsie had gone out in another Drop Pod to try and gather some of Bug's remains, so they could return to the Bug World one last time and bury him accordingly. Krayonder, as Megagirl had said, was alive, but had a large bandage around his head and seemed dazed and confused. He was being tended to by Specs.

February had retreated to her room and hadn't left since she went inside. Taz was sat by the docking station, waiting just in case Junior decided to come back. She would personally kill him, with her bare hands if she had to. Those bugs couldn't have got onto the ship by themselves now, could they? Much to her annoyance however, Junior didn't come back.

Up, Megagirl and Tootsie did however, and Taz looked at the box Up was holding with a slight wince. There wasn't much then.

"It just feels right that we bury him down there, y'know?" Up muttered, frowning slightly.

"Yeah, he deserves to be laid to rest on his home planet." Taz replied, pulling herself up into a standing position, wincing slightly.

"No sign of Junior?" Up asked, setting his jaw slightly, and Taz shook her head. Negative. Up sighed and placed the box down on the floor gently. "In that case, we better gather everyone."

"I'll get February. She's locked herself in her room." Taz sighed, and began to walk away. Up however, reached out his hand and gripped onto her wrist. She looked back at him, furrowing her eyebrows slightly. Silently, he pulled her close to him, wrapping his arms around her tightly and burying his face in her hair. Taz froze slightly, having forgotten what this sensation felt like. Slowly, her arms wrapped around his waist, and she rested her head against his chest.

"I was so worried I was gonna lose you today Taz." Up mumbled. "An' obviously, I feel really bad about Bug and February, course I do. My heart aches for 'em…I'm just so glad it wasn't you."

"Ey' Up," Taz sighed, not moving a muscle. "Listen to me, _idiota. _We've been through too much for me to let some _estúpido_ bugs drag us apart." She looked up at him, and he gave her a weak smile in return, nodding his head. "Now c'mon…Let's get dis funeral over with." Reluctantly, she moved away from the warmth of his arms and headed towards February's room, wondering what she was going to tell her.

**Linebreaklinebreak**

Slowly, The Starship Rangers of Starship 15-A2 made their way from the drop pod onto the Bug World once more. Specs and Tootsie carried the box covered by a cloth bearing the G.L.E.E insignia out of the pod and then laid it on the ground. The others then formed a circle around it, all staring down at the remains of their fallen Ranger.

"Ten-Hut!" Up barked suddenly, and Taz instinctively stood a little straighter, clasping her hands together in front of her. "We are gathered here today, to pay out final respects to our honoured dead…" His voice wavered slightly, and Taz glanced at him, frowning. "…Bug. Who we lay to rest, here, in his native soil." He paused again. "Bug, I know that your body exploded in space, and the few remaining bits of your body we managed to salvage are lyin' in a this box at m'feet-" February made a small whimpering noise. "But I like to think that you're still out there…somewhere."

"Would you settle for somewhere right here?" A cheerful voice asked, and Taz spun around to see what looked like a giant fire-ant stood on two legs staring at them with large, bulbous blue eyes.

"It's a damn bug!" Taz cried, wishing she had brought her zapper with her as the others crowded behind her and Up, all looking terrified. She froze slightly as Up stood in front of her and outstretched his arms slightly, almost in a protective manner. Her gaze flickered from the bug to Up for a moment, until she focused on the problem at hand.

"No, guys, it's me! Bug!" the alien said quickly, holding up its claws, looking nervous.

"…Bug?" Up asked in disbelief, and Taz felt February stiffen beside her.

"Yeah." Bug replied, looking at them mournfully. "I know I look a little different, but- When my body died up there-"he gestured to the sky. "I woke up down here. And I know it's weird…But I'm still the same old Bug! …So what do you say everybody?" he paused. "…February?"

Taz glanced to her left as February stepped forward, her lips pulled upwards slightly in a small smile. "Oh Bug…" she murmured softly, and stepped towards the creature, lightly feeling around its face and…mandibles, and suddenly she laughed, delighted. "It's really you!"

Taz raised her eyebrow slowly, and glanced at Up, who was watching the two of them with delight written all over his face, and she shook her head slightly.

"I can understand if you still hate bugs." Bug was saying, looking nervous, and February smiled.

"I thought I hated bugs." She said quietly, still smiling. "But there's one that makes me feel like more than I ever could be!"

"It's that bastard, Pincer, isn't it?" Bug suddenly asked, annoyed, and February shook her head, giggling.

"It's you, Bug!"

"Oh cool!" Bug said brightly, and Taz simply stared as they embraced. Today was really turning out weird. Shaking her head to clear it of her thoughts, not really paying attention to what February was saying next, Taz almost choked on her own oxygen supply when she saw February kiss. Well…To each their own, right?

"Well, Tarnations y'all!" Tootsie said suddenly, taking Megagirl by the hand, and Taz glanced over at them, raising her eyebrow slightly. "What do y'all see we turn this here funeral-" he paused, getting on one knee and then turned to Megagirl, pulling out a ring. "Into a weddin'?"

Oh come ON! Seriously? Wait, was that a Tootsie Pop ring?

Up's face lit up like she had never seen before, and he turned to her, obviously excited about the prospect of a wedding on the ship.

"Oh Tootsie!" Megagirl gushed, a metallic hue arising in her cheeks. "My pleasure circuits are at the maximum capacity!"

"Oh we're just getting started y'all!" Tootsie beamed, standing up and taking Megagirl's hands in his own. He turned to Up, expectantly, and Up looked even happier at the prospect of being the one to marry the two of them together. Sighing slightly, Taz stepped up behind Megagirl and clasped her hands together in front of her. The others formed a semi-circle around the couple, and then Up began.

"Do you, Ultrabeam Megagirl, take this man, Tootsie Megagirl, to be your lawful wedded husband?"

Tootsie Megagirl? Did he change his name or something? Yeah, what was Tootsie saying about his name earlier? His first name is what he does, and the second name is what he loves? How…Romantic.

"Affirmative!" Megagirl beamed, and Taz raised an eyebrow slightly as Up grinned at her before turning to Tootsie.

"And do you, Tootsie Megagirl take Ultrabeam Megagirl, to be your awful cybernetic harbinger of doom?"

"Hell yeah!" Tootsie grinned, unable to keep his eyes off of Megagirl. Actually, Taz was starting to feel a little bit sick of all this already. Was everyone on this stupid ship pairing off? She could see Krayonder had his arms around Specs' shoulders and inwardly groaned. Looked like it.

"Then by the power vested in my by the state and county of Mobile, Alabama, I now pronounce you, Man vs Machine – FIGHT!" He paused, looking confused for a moment, but it was all Tootsie and Megagirl needed. They moved forward and kissed, and Taz shook her head in mild disbelief.

"Oh- Guys, I hope you don't mind!" Bug said eagerly, holding onto February's hand with his claw. "But I invited some friends!"

Taz froze as load of bugs began to make their way onto the scene, not feeling very comfortable with being surrounded by so many of them. She felt herself reluctantly relax however as Up's arm draped over her shoulder, and he grinned down at her.

"Some day, huh?" he asked her casually, and Taz nodded, wrapping her arm around his waist in a companionable manner. They still fit together perfectly, she noted, trying to hide a smile. "It all turned out pretty well though, wouldn't y'say?"

"_Si." _Taz agreed, leaning against him slightly. "It turned out pretty well."

**Linebreaklinebreak**

"Say, Bug." Up called out, as the Starship doors closed. Bug had just finished saying his goodbyes to his friends and was heading to Earth with them, to assist them in confronting Holden and to hopefully be officially accepted as a Starship Ranger. "Did'ja happen to see Junior on Bug World?"

"Junior?" Bug asked, glancing up at him in surprise. "Didn't I say? Junior's dead!"

"What?" Taz asked immediately, her eyes widening. The others all turned around to stare at Bug, who shrank back slightly from their stares.

"Well- When I woke up back in my body in the hive, my best friend Roach told me that someone was trying to destroy the hive, and was heading to the Over-Queen, which is the source of all our power. I ran to stop him, but he was going to shoot me anyway." He paused suddenly, looking mournful. "Then Bugette…An old friend of mine, a caterpillar…she jumped in front of me to save me, and he killed her instead." February bit her lip, taking Bug's claw gently. "But, what he didn't know, was that Bugette was carrying carnivorous larvae inside of her mucus sack and when she died…They burst free. Junior also didn't know that when baby bugs hatch, they devour the closest mammal to them for nourishment…And that mammal just happened to be him."

"Junior was a mammal?" February asked, looking disturbed at the story, but also a little confused. "I thought he was like, human!"

"Humans are mammals February." Specs told her, shaking her head slightly and readjusting her glasses.

"Seriously?" February asked, and then shrugged, looking unconcerned. "I'm sorry about your friend though Buggy. She sounded really brave!"

"She was." Bug said quietly, and Taz exchanged a look with Up, who was also looking stunned by the news they had just received.

"What d'you think?" he asked her quietly, and Taz sighed, shaking her head.

"He deserved what he got." She said simply, shrugging her shoulders. "De only thing I regret is not being able to kill de _hijo de puto _myself."

Up gave her a fond smile, lightly ruffling her hair, and she glared up at him, batting his hands away.

"This means it's gonna be harder to prove our case against Holden." Up said grimly, leaning back in his seat.

"Jou really think he was de one behind all of dis?" Taz asked, thinking of the few times she had interacted with Holden. He had always unnerved her, but he had saved Up's life, and had personally visited her to promote her to Lieutenant. Could the head of the G.L.E.E really be the bad guy?

"Wouldn't surprise me." Up muttered, looking down for a fleeting moment at his robotic hand. Silently, Taz reached out and slipped her hand into his, intertwining their fingers together. Up stared at their fingers silently, and then moved his gaze up to her face. She was determinedly looking away from him, a light pink hue on her cheeks, and Up hid a smile, deciding not to say anything about it.

After time, the team began to fill out, deciding that sleeping would probably be a good idea. Soon, only Taz and Up were left, still holding hands, and still remaining silent.

"Hey, Taz." Up said quietly, and Taz glanced at him, raising her eyebrow slightly. "I know I asked ya this earlier…But how about we watch the Karate Kid tonight?" he flinched, almost as if expecting her to strike him or shout at him again. Instead, Taz's lips pulled up into a smile.

"Sounds like a plan."


	27. Snow

**A/N- TIS THE SEASON TO BE JOLLY 8D**

**But seriously, I'm really getting into the Christmas Spirit! To celebrate, here's some Christmas TUp, and I'm considering writing another oneshot, on its own, which focuses on the Starship Rangers of Starship 15-A2 playing a little Secret Santa for Christmas ^^ But for now – TUP.**

Muttering a curse under her breath, Taz burrowed further underneath the mess of blankets strewn about on Up's bed, and even through these, Up could see her small frame was still wracking with shivers.

"I hate de winter," Taz scowled, and Up chuckled, burying himself under the blankets with her and wrapping his arms around her tightly. He knew she was more subjective to the cold, she always had been. Winters in Mexico had been slightly cold, but she wasn't used to the brutal winters they often currently faced here.

"So you've mentioned before," Up replied, placing a gentle kiss to her forehead. Taz had immediately curled into the warmth from his body and had her own arms wrapped around him, the shivering calming down significantly. "Who would've thought that tough ol' Lieutenant Taz could be beaten by a bit of cold air." He teased slightly, and Taz glanced up to give him a sharp glare.

"Dose weather conditions are inhumane!" Taz shot back at him, but despite her annoyance, she leaned into Up's touch when his warm fingers brushed against the cold skin of her cheek, and he chuckled at her response.

"'Ah think it's snowin'." Up said in a casual voice, and Taz's eyes narrowed even more, causing him to hide a small smirk. He had a pretty good idea of her internal debate right about now. Taz was fascinated with snow, but she hated the cold. Such a dilemma.

He could remember the first time Taz had ever seen snow, and that memory never failed to bring a smile to his face. Sometimes, when he had been sat in the rehabilitation centre, alone, tired and missing her, he would remember this particular scene, and it never failed to lift his spirits. She had been nineteen years old, he was twenty-seven. Her hair was still long, and this was before she had been captured by the Wiynr. They had been sent to Earth as the G.L.E.E had been worried that in the joy of the festive season, people may let their guard down, and the robots would have seen this as an opportunity to attack. It was on the fifteenth of December, and he and Taz were sat huddled together outside in the cold, both waiting tensely for the signal that the robots were approaching. Up was desperately trying to pass some body heat onto his best friend, as she and cold winters did not mix very well, as she was shivering violently.

**Flashbackflashbackflashback**

"_Hey! Check it out!" An ensign called out suddenly, pointing up at the sky. "It's starting to snow!" _

_Up rolled his eyes slightly and was about to tell the ensign to shut up, because now __**really **__wasn't the time to lose his head over snow, but the words died in his throat once he saw Taz's face. Her eyes were wide with wonder as she stared at the falling white flakes. She reached out a hand silently, watching as one of the flakes landed onto her hand before promptly melting as it came in contact with her skin. _

_The snow was falling heavier now, and the other ensigns in the squadron were muttering, probably talking about how they wished they could be at home with their families right now. Up ignored them mainly, keeping his eyes and focus locked onto Taz. The snowflakes began to collect in her curly, ebony black hair like tiny white flowers, and she stood slowly, pulling away from Up's warmth. _

_She outstretched her arms and tilted her head back to the sky, closing her eyes with a wide smile on her face. The snow swirled around her body as she stood perfectly still, and Up was certain that he'd never seen anything as beautiful as her in this moment. _

_After a few moments, Taz opened her eyes, and her gaze locked onto his immediately. Her breath rose in a soft mist in front of her face, and her cheeks were slightly flushed. There was now only the barest trace of a smile on her face, but Up could still see the child-like wonder shining in her chocolate brown eyes._

"_Let's go kill some robotas," She said loudly, and Up found himself standing at the sound of her voice, and nodded immediately. _

"_Absolutely," He agreed, and Taz grinned at him, the excited flush still present in her cheeks. He watched as she shouldered her zapper and turned in the opposite direction, the cold brisk air forgotten as she waited for the inevitable attack._

**Linebreaklinebreaklinebreak**

Up slipped out of the bed, still smiling at the memory, and as he opened the curtains, he wondered if Taz's awe with snow had faded somewhat. He hadn't seen her for two years after all, though she hadn't really changed. He glanced outside at the falling snow, and then glanced back at Taz to see that she had already pulled the blankets off of her, and was pulling on her snow boots and a thick coat.

Up smirked slightly as he pulled on his own boots and coat, and then chuckled as Taz gripped onto his hand tightly, beginning to pull him out of the room and towards the entrance of the base. Her face remained neutral, annoyed, but Up could sense her excitement, he knew her well. Taz pushed open the double doors and stared silently at the sight before her, the barest hint of a smile appearing on her face. A blanket of snow lay out across the streets, covering the tops of the houses opposite the base, and the cars in the road. Snowflakes were falling heavily from the sky, and Taz quietly stepped into the mini blizzard, her smile widening.

"_Fantástico_…" She breathed, reaching out a hand to catch some snowflakes in her hand. Up smiled, watching her silently, content to just observe. A soft chuckle broke through his lips as Taz tilted her head back and poked out her tongue to catch a snowflake on the tip. He loved seeing her drop her barriers, to just allow herself to have fun. Seeing Taz with her guard down was a privilege he rarely was able to indulge in, and he treasured every single minute.

Quietly, he moved towards her, and then his arms were around her waist, and his face was lightly buried in her hair. She made a small noise of surprise, and turned around in his arms to look at him questioningly. He didn't speak, and instead he pressed his lips against hers, tenderly cupping her cheeks in his hands. After a moment, she returned the kiss, winding her arms up around his neck to entangle her fingers into his hair.

After a moment, he pulled away from her and took the moment to examine her. She was staring at him now, her soft lips still parted somewhat. Her cheeks held the same flush from six years prior, and Up smiled widely at her. His memory hadn't served her justice at all. Seeing the real Taz stood in the snow was even more beautiful and incredible than his memory could remember. Somewhere in the distance, a clocked chimed, and Up pressed a small kiss to her nose, causing her to roll her eyes and fight back a small smile.

"_Feliz navidad_, Miss Lopez," Up whispered softly, and Taz allowed the smile to break onto her lips at his words. "_Te amo."_

"_Feliz navidad,_ Up," She replied quietly, and gripped onto his shirt, pulling him down slightly so his lips crashed against hers once more.


	28. The Second War

**A/N- OKAY! THIS ONESHOT HAS AN IMPORTANT BACKSTORY! READ SO YOU DON'T GET CONFUSED.**

**This takes place in a roleplay verse which I'm doing with some other Starkids. I play Taz. Junior is still alive, and is reluctantly helping the Rangers. 'Sarriva' is an alien oc – half cat, half human, and Ash is an oc as well. **

**The section in _italics _was taken directly from the roleplay, in which a friend, Raptoregg64, plays Up – and they discuss this promise Taz has to make. I decided to write about what might happen if she had to fufill that promise! **

**That's that anyway. – Let me know if you want to join the roleplay! Onwards!**

It was chaos. Utter and complete chaos.

Taz was briefly reminded of the first robot wars as she ducked behind some rubble, clutching a zapper to her chest and panting slightly, a wound from her temple causing blood to inch down the left side of her face. She gave a humourless, dry smile as she thought of that. Why did it remind of her of the first war? Ah yes, because this was the second robot war. Robot canon fire and zapper fire could be heard all over the complete wreckage which was downtown Miami, and Taz glanced around the rubble, reloading her own zapper.

Her breath caught in her throat as she saw the creature advancing towards some civilians. Not full robot. Half man. Half man. Half robot. A cyborg.

Cursing, Taz dived out of her hiding place and fire rapidly. He wasn't human anymore, she had tried to tell herself. His robot half had taken over completely, he was a soulless killing machine.

That didn't mean, however, it was any easier seeing the blood pour out of her opponent as he fell to the ground. She had never killed anything other than a robot before. She gestured for the people she had saved to run, and shifted her zapper more securely in her arms. She turned slightly, keeping her guard up and froze when she saw Up, yelling orders to the other rangers, holding his own zappers high. She knew how hard this must be on him, and without really thinking, she ran forward to aid her Commander.

"Up!" She yelled, and quickly jumped forward as a robot fired at her, barrel rolling on the floor and ending up on her knees beside Up, keeping her zapper outstretched.

"Taz!" Up hissed, ducking slightly as a plasma blast shot over their heads. "I told you t'stay out of the way!"

"And I told jou, not gonna happen!" Taz growled in reply, firing rapidly at some robots. "Up, Space-Claw he-"She hesitated, looking at him. "He's got cyborgs."

Up stiffened, the fingers on his right hand side twitching reflexively. They stared at each other for a minute, the battle becoming background noise for a moment, and Taz wanted to scream in frustration at the look his was giving her. Pleading.

"Taz – Remember what I said…" Up began, but Taz cut him off with a scowl, nodding her head.

"_Si,_ I remember, Up! But I'm not going to let dat happen to jou! I won't let jou turn into one of dem!" She spat out the words, wishing she could believe what she was saying. That promise had echoed around her head from the moment she had made it, and she hated it.

She hated that she had promised to kill him.

The truth was, it was all going the way Taz had hoped it wouldn't. Space-Claw had told the truth then, that he could effectively reprogram the robotic side of a cyborgs body, causing it to over-ride the human. They became mindless killing machines. Just like robots.

"Taz…" Up began, looking worried, and Taz shook her head furiously, tears flying out of the corner of her eyes.

"FIGHT, _IDIOTA_!" She screamed, jumping over the rubble and firing at the robots, a crazed and maniacal glint in her fiery brown eyes. In her peripheral vision, she could see some of the other members of her team, Specs and Krayonder, for one. Tootsie and Megagirl weren't there – Megagirl was unable to fight her members of her own, and Tootsie refused to leave her, so they were in a safe house. She was pretty sure February was safe somewhere, and that Bug was around, helping them fight in his own way – she kind of hoped he was okay – given it was the first time he'd experienced something like this.

The Winyr on her team, Sarriva was probably fighting with Junior, and as hard as it was to believe, Taz trusted that they'd get the job done – Sarriva was here to save her planet after all – and she and Junior had become strangely close. She trusted them to not run away.

Satisfied that most of her team was safe for the meantime, Taz pressed forward, ducking to the ground as some of the robots fired at her. Her eyes blazed in a renewed hatred as she ran forward with a fierce battle cry, firing at every robot and cyborg she could find. She glared up at the black starship in the sky, a sudden hatred coursing through her veins. Space-Claw did this, he brought back the robots.

Taz's eyes widened slightly as a loud, high pitch screeching noise caught her ears, and she cringed slightly, feeling a headache burst through her skull suddenly. The robots had stopped moving, their faces, blank, impassive, but Taz couldn't move to destroy them – the pain was blinding almost. She turned her head, to see the other Rangers were in a similar predicament – except Up. He had frozen, like the others, and he was trembling slightly, his eyes darting around in sudden fear. They locked onto her own, and Taz felt a scream building in her throat as she tried to move towards him, fighting against the agony in her mind.

"No- Taz!" Up bit out, and his right arm seemed to be moving against his will, reaching forward slightly, to try and grab her, but he was grinding his teeth, pulling back with all his might. "Taz – You need to do it now!"

"NO!" Taz screamed, the sound, along with the bursting pain in her skull causing black spots to dance around her vision. "FIGHT IT!"

"M'NOT STRONG ENOUGH!" Up bellowed, swearing as he gripped onto his robot arm, trying to hold it back. His robotic leg twitched slightly, and he took a step forward against his will, causing him to look at her, terrified. "Taz – Please! I don't wanna hurt you!"

Whimpering slightly, Taz raised her zapper, but her arms shook, both from pain and from fear. Up's ocean blue eyes were desperate, pleading, and she remembered the promise – it burst into her mind, suddenly.

_"Doctor Le- he was talkin' about ways that th' robot side of a cyborg could override the human part," Up whispered shakily. "About how he could program 'em t' do that. And- and now I'm afraid, Taz. I'm afraid of that happenin' t' me. I don't want t' think like a robot. I don't want t' hurt you." His voice cracked slightly on the last sentence, his eyes watering._

_Taz flinched slightly, imagining the possibilities of if Space-Claw was actually able to do such a thing - If Up ever turned bad - could she fight him? No. No she couldn't. Swallowing slightly, she lightly cupped his cheeks in her hands, staring at him intently, making sure to keep the waver out of her voice._

_"We're not going to let dat happen." She said simply. "I am not going to let dat happen. Never."_

_"Taz, if- if it does happen, and there's no way of gettin' me back-" Up swallowed slightly, staring straight into her eyes. He needed to say it. He needed the reassurance. "Please, kill me. Or get someone else t' kill me. Because Taz, if that ever happens, it won't be me anymore," he whispered anxiously._

_Taz froze slightly at his words, unable to form a coherent response. She couldn't do that. She had thought she had lost him once - That was bad enough - She wasn't strong enough to go through it again._

_"I-" Taz hesitated, her voice breaking slightly. "Si, Up." She finally whispered, though her eyes were angry now, angry at herself, at Space-Claw, at the world. Hot, furious tears built up behind her eyes but she tried to push them back. "I promise."_

_But she wouldn't let it get that far._

But it HAD got that far, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Except this. The ringing increased, and Taz let out a small cry, her legs almost buckling. This increase however, seemed to be the finishing blow for Up. The bright blue eyes dimmed somewhat, and he was suddenly staring at her with narrowed eyes, otherwise emotionless. Robotic.

"NO!" Taz screamed desperately, unable to stop the tears that cascaded down her cheeks at the sight of Up, her Up, staring at her with such loathing and contempt. The ringing slowed to a halt – a suddenly – the battle began once again as the robots sprung to life, raising their canons and beginning to fire. Taz ignored the explosions and Zapperfire as the other rangers regained their senses, her eyes locked on the man she loved with all of her heart. He moved towards her slowly, and Taz raised her zapper a little higher, trying to will herself to shoot.

He moved closer, and the tip of Taz's zapper pressed against his chest, but still, she couldn't shoot. Her major downfall, was him. She'd always know that, and apparently, so had Space-Claw. Her fatal flaw.

'_He__'__s __a __robot!__' _her mind screamed, urging her to shoot him and get back to the battle. _'__He __doesn__'__t __care __about __you __anymore!__'_

Her heart clenched painfully at the thought, immediately rejecting the idea. Making that promise was stupid, she knew she wouldn't be able to do it. She'd rather die than hurt him. Taz flinched as Up's robotic hand gripped her gun, ripping it out of her hands and crushing it effortlessly. Her eyes widened slightly, and she took a sharp intake of breath, beginning to back away, unable to really think straight.

Up – No. She couldn't think of him as Up anymore – The robot advanced on her, and Taz's back pressed up against a wall, unable to tear her eyes away from his face.

"Prepare t'meet your end, human." The robot said coldly, and Taz's heart gave another painful twist. It was Up's voice – Up's southern drawl. But there was no warmth in the accent, it was emotionless, dry.

Taz flinched as the robot raised his arms, but then froze as she heard shouting.

"Over here, man! Come on! Come get us!"

"Oi! Robot! Come here if you want a real challenge!"

The robot turned mechanically, and Taz seized this chance to dart away, sprinting to the side, and turning to watch the scene. Her team had arrived, and were facing the robot, all of them looking apprehensive. Sarriva led the group. Her zapper aimed at Up, her tail twitching slightly, showing her uncertainty. Krayonder, Specs, Junior and Ash were behind her, and Taz watched in mounting horror as Sarriva reloaded her gun, her eyes set in determination.

"Sorry, Up." She said grimly. "But it's for the greater good."

Taz didn't know why she did it – Didn't know what possessed her brain to force her legs to run forward as Sarriva fired the shot. All she knew, was that her arms reached out, pushing Up out of the way, as she shrieked out "NO!" – and the zapperfire hit her instead, straight in the chest. Her eyes widened momentarily, and she almost fell forward, but held herself upright, ignoring the blood beginning to stain her shirt, slipping down her chest and dripping onto the ground.

Her vision blurred slightly, but she held herself high, trying to regulate her breathing.

"Taz – " Sarriva said, stunned, lowering her zapper somewhat. "What.."

Taz didn't hear the rest, instead her knees buckled, and she felt to the ground, the last thing she saw being a frightened pair of bright, ocean blue eyes staring down at her.

**Linebreaklinebreak**

Groaning slightly, Taz opened her eyes and flinched at the familiar sight of an all-white room, with multiple beds lay against the wall. Her chest ached horrendously – and slowly, fighting back a wave of nausea, Taz sat up, trying to remember what had happened.

"Taz?" a voice asked softly, and Taz turned sharply, recognizing the voice immediately.

Up was staring at her, sat beside her bed, an expression of pain and regret on his face, mixed with a self-loathing. There was a haunted look in his ocean blue eyes, but Taz could understand.

"Up-" She breathed, reached out to press her fingers against his cheeks. She had to make sure he was real – that this wasn't just a wonderful dream. His hands covered hers, and Taz fought back a small sob. It was so very real. "Jou're jou…"

"Taz, m'so sorry!" Up said quickly, closing his eyes tightly, looking pained. "I didn't want – I was so afraid I'd hurt you – seeing you get shot down just snapped me out of it- I understand if y'hate me now…but I.."

He was silenced abruptly as Taz pulled the wires out of her skin and threw herself onto him, her lips pressing against his firmly, and her fingers entangling themselves into his hair immediately. His arms found her waist, pulling her against him as he responded to the kiss, but he brought a hand up to wipe away the tears that openly fell down her cheeks.

"_Idiota,__"_ She whispered as she kissed him fiercely, ignoring all self –restraint, though her brain was telling her to be cautious. To hell with caution, Up was himself again – and that was all she cared about. "_No __te __odio, __estúpido! __Te __amo!__"_

Up's lips curved into a small smile as he returned the kisses, pulling away once they both desperately needed air.

"Taz – I could've killed you…" He said mournfully, his shoulders slumping slightly. "You shouldn't have stopped Sarriva."

"I lost jou once. I couldn't deal with de pain of losing jou again – I would have rather died." Taz said simply, closing her eyes and resting her forehead against his. "But it doesn't matter, because jou're back." She opened her eyes again, giving him a tiny smile. "Jou didn't hurt anyone. Jou found de strength in jourself."

"No Taz," Up sighed, shaking his head. "I found the strength in YOU." He smiled weakly, resting his hands on her hips as she looked at him quizzically. "I saw y'lying there…And suddenly my human brain kicked in, along with m'heart, and I realised that losin' you was more powerful than any hold Space-Claw had over me."

Taz quirked her lips slightly, ignoring the dull ache in her body, telling her to lie back and rest. Instead, she was quite content to curl up into his arms, feeling the soft beating of his heart against her head as she laid her head against his chest. She lay there, feeling exhaustion sweep over her body suddenly, and closed her eyes, feeling Up press a small kiss to the top of her head.

"_Te __amo __tambien_," he murmured softly, wrapping his arms around her and smiling gently. "Forever and always."


	29. Strawberries

**A/N – Hello! Sorry for the wait before an update appeared! I've been writing other things. In fact, I've been working on a Taz story! Three chapters are up on Deviantart, but I'm wary about posting them on here. Let me know if you wanna read, anyway.**

**ON THAT NOTE – I had an idea for a TUp story but it makes NO sense. I was doing a OTP quiz, and I chose TUp – and one of the questions was 'imagine your OTP and their closest friends were in a fairytale? What would the roles be?" – immediately, I had an idea and I wanted to write it so badly, for the lols XD But I'm debating. **

**Anyway, enjoy!**

It was said that Lieutenant Taz had no weaknesses. She was invincible, hard-hearted. Nothing could possibly beat her. However, that wasn't particularly true. Lieutenant Taz was certainly strong and tough, but like everyone else, she had her weaknesses, her indulgences. She just refused to let anyone know what they were.

One Commander Up, however, discovered one of her indulgences when she was aged eighteen. It followed a particularly bad argument, in which Up was refusing to let Taz join him on a mission, because this particular mission was too high maintenance and dangerous for any rookie Rangers to be assigned to. Taz had argued, and yelled and even threw a punch at Up to try and get him to reconsider, but he stood firm and told her in a cold voice that she had to learn to obey orders.

**Linebreaklinebreak**

Heaving a heavy sigh, Up paused outside of Taz's room, running his fingers through his rapidly greying chestnut brown hair. He ran through what he wanted to say to her in his mind, but realistically, he knew that as soon as she opened the door (_if she opens the door) _his mind would betray him and he'd just stumble around trying to remember what he wanted to say. Steeling his resolve, he reached out and knocked on her door.

"Fuck off!" Taz immediately snarled, and Up grimaced slightly.

"It's me." He told her warily.

"I know. Fuck off." Taz repeated, her voice bitter and annoyed.

"Taz, I know you're upset about this." Up continued warily, resting an arm against the metal door. "But shutting me out and ignoring me isn't going t'change things. I just want to talk. I won't take up too much of your time."

The metal door opened suddenly, and as Up had been leaning on it, he stumbled forward, managing to catch himself before he fell on the angry Mexican girl in front of him. Her long curly hair was down for once, and slightly messy, like she'd been asleep and had been tossing and turning. She wore the clothes she had been wearing earlier however, a simple tank top, camo pants and her boots. Pulling himself out of his thoughts, he narrowly dodged a sharp punch to the face, and quickly grabbed onto Taz's wrists, staring her down as he did so. She struggled, glaring at him with something similar to hatred on her face, and inwardly, he winced at the sight of that expression directed towards him.

"We need t'talk," He told her firmly, not releasing her wrists. "And I'd prefer it if we could do it without getting into a fight."

Taz set her jaw but ripped her hands out of his and turned away, walking into her room and throwing herself onto her bed. Warily, Up followed her inside and slid the door shut behind him before he sat down on the bed next to her.

"Taz, I understand why yer upset-" He began, but Taz interrupted him, sitting up to shoot him another venomous glare.

"I just don't understand why jou don't TRUST me to not get myself killed on dis _estúpido_ mission! I know dat if jou just gave me a chance, I could do dis."

"Taz, y'know I trust you," Up countered tiredly, shaking his head. "This mission is just too big for rookies. None of th'others are goin'."

"De others are all _idiotas." _Taz replied shortly, leaning back against her headboard and scowling slightly. "Half of dem shouldn't have graduated, dey can't even hold a zapper straight!"

Up flinched slightly. He knew she had a point, because half of the graduates were increasingly incompetent and shouldn't have graduated, but the orders to keep all the rookie rangers at the base was an order that came from higher than his rank. The admiral had ordered it, and Up had no choice but to really follow orders. He shook his head slowly and then glanced at a bowl which lay on the bed beside Taz. It was filled, Up noticed in slight surprise, with strawberries. Taz saw him looking and flushed, pulling the bowl closer to her.

"What?" She asked defensively, and Up tried to hide his amusement.

"Cravin' strawberries?" He asked with a small grin. "Didn't think you were the type to indulge on this fruit. I mean I heard a rumor goin; around that you only ate raw falcon eggs and protein shakes."

"At least I don't eat eagles for breakfast." Taz shot back, and Up laughed loudly.

"Or sleep on a bed of fire," He agreed, grinning slightly. He had no idea where those rumours had come from. "But seriously."

"I just like strawberries." Taz muttered, crossing her legs and glaring at him. "Dey are my comfort food."

"I thought most girls liked chocolate," Up commented mildly, and Taz rolled her eyes.

"Yes, Up, because I'm really like most girls." She commented dryly, and Up smiled at her, shaking his head.

"Y'make a good point." He noted, and then paused, scooting over so he was sat beside her, his back against the headboard. "Taz. Y'know I'd let you come If I could. But the orders come higher from me. Otherwise, you'd be the first person I'd have on m'team."

"Really?" Taz asked warily, glancing at him for a moment, lightly chewing on his bottom lip.

"Really," he promised, giving her a small smile. "You're one tough sonofabitch, y'know that."

Taz's lips twitched slightly, and she nodded, looking down at the bed. She pursed her lips slightly, and then muttered something, causing Up to look at her questioningly.

"What was that?"

"I said, jou better come back in one piece." Taz repeated with a huff, looking up to give him a half-hearted glare. Up paused slightly and then nodded absently before reached over and stole a strawberry from her bowl, and pulled out the leaves before winking at her and putting half of the fruit into his mouth.

"Hey!" Taz yelled, looking indignant. "Dat's mine!"

"Come and get it." Up said challengingly, his voice somewhat muffled. Taz narrowed her eyes and dived onto him, causing him to laugh as the rolled off the bed and onto the floor with an audible 'thump'. Taz had Up's hands pinned to the ground on either side of him and was straddling him, a small grin on her face.

"Pinned jou." She said cheerfully, and reached down and bit into the other end of the strawberry. Up smile and released his hold of the strawberry, and Taz chewed it for a few moments before swallowing it and smiling triumphantly.

"Okay, I get it." Up said sarcastically, though he was grinning. "Don't steal Taz's strawberries."

"Damn right," Taz agreed, and released her grip on his wrists. Up sat up slightly, and wrapped his arms around her in a hug, and she returned the gesture, lightly pressing her head against the crook of his neck.

"I promise, y'can come on t'next mission." Up said quietly, idly running his fingers through her hair. "Just hang tight for now. And keep training. We'll prove to 'em that you're no ordinary rookie."

Taz didn't reply, she simply smiled and closed her eyes, knowing that what he said was true. Besides. She was quite small. No-one was going to notice her sneaking onto the Starship, anyway.


	30. Reunion

**A/N – Sorry it's been a while! I've been busy with other stuff. I'll be updating a very starship fairytale soon enough, too. On another note, this oneshot takes place in a story I'm writing. The story is called 'Recovery' and is about Taz being injured and cared for by three girls. I've written the TUp reunion scene for it, but decided to write it in Up's POV! **

Up was in trouble, he knew it from the moment the battle had started. They were hopelessly outnumbered from the start, and no matter how many robots the rangers took down, more seemed to pour in from everywhere. It was taking all the combined effort of every Starship Ranger stationed in Miami to just keep them held back. Up's mind began to wander briefly as he reloaded his zapper, and he wondered what Taz was doing. Nothing too drastic he h-

The shock hit him like a ton of bricks when he realised that Taz wouldn't be fighting. Taz wasn't here. In fact there was a plaque in the memorial centre which had her name on it, stating the date of death to be two months ago. The reports of her death had never sunk in, because her body had never been found. Up had just refused to believe it, and that hope that she was out there somewhere was reinforced a week after her 'death', when he had found that little note on his pillow, Taz's dog tags on top of them. The note was in her handwriting, unmistakeably. It stated that she was safe, but injured, and couldn't return to the base until she was fully healed.

So he had never accepted her death, never allowed himself to believe that she was gone. But being in a battle without her, it made him feel uneasy. This hadn't happened in ten years at least. He was so used to watching out for Taz, making sure she didn't do anything stupid, that he was at a loss of what to do.

Up cursed and snapped out of his thoughts as a laser canon narrowly missed him. He pushed back his fears and fired rapidly at the robots, trying to keep his mind off of Taz, trying to keep his mind from imagining her cold, dead- No! He had to stop thinking like that.

"There's too many of them, man!" Krayonder yelled, his eyes wide and panicked as he ducked a stray canon fire. "This is it man, we're finished!"

"Shut up, Krayonder!" Up snapped, trying to keep his focus on the issues at hand. He was right though, there really were too many. They needed a miracle to get out of this now.

It happened so quickly. At first, a single explosion rocked the ranks of the robot, though it was a huge explosion, and seemed to take out hundreds at once. The first explosion was quickly followed by a chain reaction, and Up was stunned to see the number of robots in the army decrease impressively. He recognized the power of the grenade that was obviously being used to start these chain reactions – he had seen them used in the Galactic league before, but he had never expected them to be used here – they were never usually used without a warning.

However, the unauthorized use of the grenades gave the rangers an important advantage over the robots, and with a simple, loud war cry, Up gestured for the troops to move forward. The robots were easily outnumbered by now, and Up took great pleasure in imagining the look on Holden's face when he viewed all of his robots get taken out easily, like knocking down dominos. He couldn't stop the slight thrill of fear that passed through his body at the thought of having to continue to fight the robots however, but he thought of Taz again.

If she was dead, and please dead god let that note have been true, then she was dead because of the robots. The very creatures that in a twisted way, had brought the two of them together, were the same creatures to tear them apart ten years later. Up felt a sudden rage rise up within him, and gripping his zapper tightly, he forgot all of his fears, and charged into the thick of the battle, shooting every dead-goddamn robot he saw. One of those robots could be reason for his sleepless nights. One of those robots could be the reason he slept alone now, instead of feeling the warm, comforting presence of Taz by his side. One of those robots may have tried to kill her, and may, or may not have succeeded.

This thought was enough to keep him fighting.

**LinebreakLinebreak**

After what seemed to be many hours, the last robot fell to the ground, destroyed. A hush fell over the gathered rangers and the dust from the battle seemed to just fill the air, clouding their vision and giving the battle scene a somewhat eerie feel. Up took a tentative step forward, but froze when Krayonder's voice called out from behind him.

"Someone's coming, man!" he hissed, looking panicked, and Up held onto his zapper tightly, waiting for the figure to emerge from the dust. When she did, Up's breath caught in his throat, and for a moment, he didn't know what to do.

She looked like a goddess of war. Her hair was slightly longer than he remembered it being, and it fell into her face slightly, but the headband around her head mostly kept it in check. A zapper was thrown over her shoulders, and a belt made of several large black grenades hung on her hips. She her image became clearer, Up could see the long black scar running from the crook of her elbow to her wrist, and he could see that her legs were trembling slightly.

But seeing Taz stood before him, alive, well, and with a smirk on her face was almost too much for Up to take. For a moment, he wondered if he was dreaming, but then Taz spoke.

"Good job I'm still around to save jour asses, idiotas."

Up wasn't even aware his feet were moving, but in one fluid motion, he had swept Taz up off her feet and was holding her close to him, whispering her name repeatedly, praying that this wasn't a dream, and that if it was, he'd never wake up. The zapper fell to the ground with a clatter as Taz's arms wound around Up in return, clinging onto him as if she would never let go. He was aware of the shocked silence behind him, and didn't care. They had all thought that she was dead, but he had known in his heart, that she was okay. Taz was a fighter.

He pulled back slightly to stare at her, and lightly cupped her face in his hands. She was smiling wider than he had seen her smile in a long time, and he laughed shakily. Without caring that all of the rangers in the Miami base were around him, without caring about the consequences, Up kissed her. Her hands gripped onto his shoulders as she kissed him back, and that was when the cheers started.

The battle had been won, and though the war was just beginning, Up knew he'd be just fine with Taz right by his side.


	31. The Little Things

**A/N - Sudden random inspiration is sudden! Here we are, some more TUp!**

Up sat down on one of the comfortable armchairs in one of the main lounges in the G.L.E.E base, a glass of water in hand. He exhaled slowly, running his fingers through his rapidly greying hair. This was a rare chance for him to just relax, before he was called out for another mission. There were some others in the room, just a few ensigns, his old friend Hupes, and another Commanding officer.

"Morning, Up." Hupes greeted, sitting opposite him, next to the other Commander. "How are you?"

"As well as could be expected," Up sighed, dragging his hands down his face. "Taz 'n I are just waitin' t'be reassigned."

"Lieutenant Taz?" The commander questioned, and Up glanced at him for a moment before he nodded. "Oh I've heard about her, a bit of a wildfire, I heard."

Up chuckled slightly and nodded, because it was true.

"From what I've seen of her, she seems like she could be a handful. What do you like about her exactly?"

Up raised an eyebrow, looking at the Commander opposite him in genuine surprise. What did he like about Taz? That was a broad question. An easier question would be, what DIDN'T he like about Taz? That was a short list, in comparison.

"Well there's plenty that I like about Taz. It's hard for me t'pinpoint just a few things t'tell y'about her. Say what y'like about her, she's got a complete heart of gold. She's determined and strong, and she's t'best student I ever had. I like how I'm the only one who can get her t'smile, and the way that smile is usually guarded, but y'can see so much more underneath it. She wants to just be herself, but she's wary of people knowing the real her. I like that when we're together, she'll feel free to laugh and have a good time." He paused here, thinking about it. "I like the way her eyes light up when y'mention coffee or strawberries to her, and the way she curls up in a ball to protect herself while she sleeps. I also like how she'll start randomly cursing in Spanish when she's mad or frustrated, cos it adds to her charm, I think."

He leaned back in his seat for a moment, considering what else he could say, looking somewhat thoughtful before he spoke again, seeming to have forgotten that Hupes and the other Commander were present – it was as if he was monologuing to himself.

"Then there's the way she acts all tough and uncaring, but put her around little kids, and she's immediately softer than you'd ever expect her t'be. She never quits when she's on a mission, and sometimes that worries me, 'cos she's so reckless , but she's a true ranger in that respect, she's here to get the job done. She has an interesting sense of humour that not many people understand. They say sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, but with Taz it just works. Even the little things about her I notice – like the way she scrunches her nose up when she's confused, or when she sets her jaw when she's frustrated. I like t'shade of her eyes and how the colour darkens or lightens depending on her mood. I like t'way she'll relax with me so we can watch our favourite movie together, and that she trusts me completely. I like how she's the only one in my team t'stand up to me, though the reckless thing comes into play when she goes against orders and almost gets herself killed." He grimaced slightly. "To put it shortly, there isn't much about Taz that I don't like. She aint perfect, naw, but who is? It all adds up t'making her who she is."

He drained his water, satisfied, and then paused when he saw Hupes grinning, and the other Commander looking amused. Much to his confusion however, they weren't looking at him, and instead they were looking behind hi- shit. For a moment, he was afraid turn around, but steeling himself, he glanced behind him, and immediately, his gaze locked onto a pair of chocolate brown eyes.

Taz was stood in the doorway, her eyes wide and looking somewhat like a deer caught in the headlights. She seemed to be having trouble forming a coherent sentence, and If Up didn't know any better, he could have sworn there was a slight blush present on her cheeks. Clearing her throat to regain her senses, Taz stepped into the room and grabbed a file that was sitting on a nearby desk.

"I just had to get dis for Jamie," She mumbled, looking embarrassed, and averted her eyes slightly. She left without another word, and Up felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. He felt a kick to his leg, and glanced back to see that Hupes had kicked him and was gesturing for him to follow her, raising an eyebrow slightly. Up stood without a word and immediately left the room, quickening his pace to catch up with Taz.

"Taz, wait up!" He called out, and the shorter girl paused, though she didn't turn around. Up stopped behind her, unsure of what she wanted him to say. Had he said something to offend her? No, she was most likely just embarrassed by what he had said. Should he apologize? But he had meant every word he had said. He was silent for a few more moments before Taz turned around to look at him.

"Why did jou say all of dat stuff, about me?" She demanded, and Up was startled to see that there was a slight line of blush over her face, despite the glare that was settled in her eyes at that moment in time.

"They asked me what I liked about you?" Up offered, unsure of what the correct answer would be. "I didn't mean t'upset you or anything Taz. I was just tellin' em."

"_Idiota_." Taz muttered, tightening her grip on the file. "_Estúpido idiota. No estoy enojado." _She paused, appearing to remembering something he had said, and Up tried to not grin as she looked mortified. He did say that he liked her cursing randomly in Spanish, didn't he? "I mean –I'm not upset." She hastened to correct herself. "I just didn't realise dere was so much jou liked about me… Jou made me sound so… I don't know, special, or something! I didn't even know half of dose things about myself!"

"Because I'm the one payin' attention. You don't notice because you always do it." Up said with a shrug. "And for t'record, Taz. You are special. I'm not gonna apologize for anythin' I said back there, cos I meant it all." His voice was firm, the way it usually was after he made a command to his team. Taz stared at him for a moment, the shock evident in her face, and then, in a rare display of affection from the lieutenant, her arms wound around his chest in a hug, and she seemed to want to hide her face in his shirt for a moment. He wasn't sure what was going on in her mind at that moment, but he hugged her back nevertheless, knowing this was a rarity from Taz, anyway.

"Gracias," Taz practically whispered and then pulled away from him, keeping her expression neutral. "But don't talk about me behind my back again, or I'll kick jour ass."

Up grinned slightly, raising his eyebrows slightly.

"Is that a challenge?"

"No, dat's a promise!"

**A/N- I just want to add that Hupes is the original TUp fangirl. :') **


	32. Grief

**A/N- Okay, bare with me on this one. It's not complete TUp, but it's character/relationship development, and there is sad TUp at the end, so yup. **

"_This is Hupes, requesting back up urgently! Downtown Chicago, sector twelve. It's just Lieutenant Taz Lopez and myself – we're overrun and we need back up immediately, over!" _

Taz swore and ducked behind an overturned car, her left arm gripping around the fierce burn that flared up on her left wrist. She glanced to her left, to see Hupes nearby, and she had to smile grimly. How was it that whenever she was separated from Up, she always managed to find Hupes, instead? He gave her a thumbs up, and Taz returned the gesture briefly before she waved her way over to him, looking grim.

"We're surrounded." She noted, her voice completely void of emotion. She was thinking of Up again, and she had to push his face from her mind in order to keep her emotions in check. Up could handle himself.

"Looks like it." Hupes agreed, shouldering his zapper. Taz gave him a grim smile, tightening her grip on her own weapon.

"See jou later," She said, keeping her voice casual, and then she was running, leaping over rubble and overturned hover cars, shooting at every single robot she saw. Personally, given the odds that were stacked against her, she felt she was doing quite well. However, Taz let out a cray as she felt a sharp, sudden pain in her ankle, and she tripped, causing her zapper to fly out of her hands and clatter to the ground several feet away, too far for her to reach. She swore, pulling herself up onto her feet with a grimace, but froze as she heard the mechanical sound of a robotic arm canon point itself at her. She turned to face the robot, and felt no real fear, only acceptance as the red eyes tried to stare her down.

Taz inhaled sharply as the robot advanced, feeling more vulnerable than she ever had before. She was unarmed and completely defenceless. Glaring at the robot with pure hatred, she backed up slightly, inwardly cursing as her back pressed against solid brick. She glanced to the side, wondering if she would have time to dive to the left or the right before she was shot, but the laser canon on the robots arm had locked onto her, and would be too fast for her to dodge. Steeling herself, Taz pressed her lips together as the canon began to glow, and just as a powerful beam of energy was shot at her, something slammed into her side, knocking her out of the way and sending her sprawling into the dust, and rolling by her previously discarded zapper.

Cursing, Taz grabbed the weapon and glanced up to see what had hit her, and before she could stop herself, a strangled, wild scream escaped her throat as Hupes slumped to the ground, his body burned and bloody from the power of the blast. A red haze dropped over Taz's eyes as she saw the robot prepare to finish him off and she ran forward, raising the zapper high.

"NO!" She shrieked, her voice sounding raw from all the screaming she had done today. She shot rapidly at the robot, reducing it to a broken, beaten pile of metal in a matter of seconds, and just as quickly, she was beside Hupes, dropping the zapper on the floor beside her, her hands hovering over his burned face, suddenly afraid to touch him, lest she should cause him more pain. His breathing was shallow and heavy, and his eyes were closed, though she could tell he was conscious, though for how long, she wasn't sure.

"Idiota," Taz whispered, and her voice broke slightly as she settled for touching a small area of skin on his cheek which wasn't burned. "Why did jou do dat? Idiot! Jou should have let it kill me!"

Hupes slowly reached up a hand to close it over her smaller one, and opened his eyes, the grey orbs immediately locking onto her chocolate brown ones. He must have been in incredible pain, but the steely glint in his eyes didn't falter for a second, and Taz both hated and respected him for it.

"You're not the only one who can be reckless, Shortstack." Hupes replied quietly, and Taz wasn't sure if she wanted to laugh or cry. Instead, a strangled noise escaped her lips as she gripped onto his hand tightly, unable to tear her eyes away from his face. She wasn't sure what to say.

"Don't call me dat," she finally settled on, trying to keep her voice steady. She failed. Hupes laughed, though the sound was weak, and Taz was very aware of the fact that she was losing him. The fingers of her free hand trembling, she reached for the discarded communicator and held it, her hand suddenly feeling numb as she forced her thumb onto the button. "Lieutenant Taz Lopez speaking," she began, and she had to try harder to keep her voice steady. "Requesting backup in sector twelve, I repeat, requesting backup in sector twelve." Her fingers released the button, and she stared blankly at the device. "Please." She whispered.

"I always knew," Hupes was saying quietly, and Taz looked at him again, gripping his hand again, waiting for him to continue. "The minute I saw you sitting in that hospital bed when you were fifteen, that Up was right about you. You were a fighter."

"Jou and Up are de same! Always trying to protect me! I'm not a baby!" Taz snapped, and she could feel her whole body shaking now. It was easier to be angry at him than it was to allow herself to cry. "Maybe dis was supposed to be my time, jou can't always protect me, Hupes!"

"It was me or you, Taz." Hupes said softly, flinching ever so slightly. "Up needs you. The one I love has already passed on. Maybe it is time I joined her, and our baby girl." His eyes softened slightly, and Taz shook her head rapidly. Maybe it was selfish, but she didn't want him to go. Didn't want him to die. Besides Up, he was the only person to really accept and understand her. Two years of being his lieutenant when Up was in rehab had brought her and the commander closer. She was reminded painfully of her father, and how much Hupes was like him.

"Don't go." Taz murmured, swallowing down the lump in her throat and cursing herself inwardly at how pleading her voice sounded. Hupes simply smiled at her, an expression tinged with sadness.

"Sorry, Taz." He said softly, and closed his eyes, his breathing slowing to a stop, his grip on her hand slackening. Taz could only stare at him, her eyes wide with the shock she was feeling. She was numb. Her whole body began to shake violently, and her mouth opened and closed soundlessly.

"Hupes." She whispered, her voice breaking slightly. She could feel her shields beginning to shatter, but she tried to hold herself together. Hupes had never seen her cry. "Wake up, Hupes." Absently, her hand reached out to shake him awake, like she had done many times before, when he was having a lazy moment on the ship. He didn't stir.

"TAZ! HUPES!" Up's voice cut through the haze in her mind, but she couldn't respond, her brain wouldn't function properly. All she could focus on was Hupes and how he couldn't be _dead. _Up's voice was closer now, panicked and fearful. Slowly, mechanically, Taz felt for a pulse, tried to feel for the steady beat of his heart beneath her fingertips. Nothing. Up called again, behind her now, but faltered. He must have seen them.

"No." was all Taz said, staring at Hupes's body in stunned disbelief. "No."

She was vaguely aware of Up slumping down beside her, and he was staring at his long time friend with an expression of pure agony on his face, looking as lost as she felt. The expression on his face, and his obvious pain, so real and tangible, broke through Taz's shields. Silent tears began to slip down her cheeks, though she made no move to wipe them away, and she opened her mouth, but the only sound released was a strangled sob.

Almost immediately, Up's arms were around her, holding her close, comforting her. He was shaking, and she was sure he had succumbed to his own tears. Her hands clutched onto his shirt, clinging onto him in the hopes that it would prevent her from sinking further into despair. Hupes was dead.

_Dead._

Her mouth opened in a silent scream, and she beat her fists against Up's chest, wanting to get away, not wanting to be in his embrace. She wanted to run, to run and never look back. This was why she never allowed herself to build relationships with people. Hupes was always a fatherly figure to her, watchful, supportive. And now, just like everyone else in her life, he was gone. Up's grip didn't falter, however. If possible, he just held her closer, being the silent pillar of support. But in a way, she was his support to, wasn't she? Hupes and Up had been friends long before she'd even met Up that dreadful August day. He needed comfort too.

After a few moments, Taz was able to control herself, and shakily tried to pull herself up, trying to pull Up onto his feet with her. He complied, refusing to release her, and Taz was glad, as her knees buckled slightly, and she was having trouble keeping herself upright.

In Up's arms, she felt empowered, strong. They were still alive, they were still together. Hupes had died in order to give her a future. 'Up needs you', he had said, and Taz knew he was right. She forced her gaze away from Hupes's body, and her eyes met Up's, and she could see her own pain and acceptance reflected in his deep blue pools. She could hear the other rangers approaching, and was dimly aware of shouting orders at someone to get Hupes's body off of the battlefield. He shouldn't by lying so vulnerable to attack.

Up caught her hands in his own, and only then did she realise she was still trembling. He brought her hands to his lips and kissed her fingertips, looking older than his years, suddenly. Just like her, he had now lost everything from his past. Family and old friends. Except her. They still had each other, and despite the battle in the background, Taz was certain that that was how it was going to stay.


	33. Positive

"Mornin' Taz," Up said casually, sat down at a table in the mess hall as his Lieutenant made her way over to him, a cup of coffee in her hand. Taz gave a noncommittal grunt in response and immediately began to drink, not being able to function properly at seven am without a coffee to guide her. Up grinned slightly, and then nodded his head as he was handed a slip of paper from a passing senior officer. Reassignment? He grimaced slightly and unfolded it, scanning his team before he checked the location. Taz was still his lieutenant. Good. Up's eyes moved to the location, and his breath caught in his throat, his eyes widening.

"What's with jou?" Taz asked with a raised eyebrow, picking up her own slip and opening it. She glanced at it and froze, and Up realised with a stab of worry, that her hands were trembling. She stood abrubtly, muttering about going to go and pack, and left quickly, leaving Up staring after her in slight dismay. He sighed heavily and glanced down at the words which could be the undoing of the stoic lieutenant.

'Relocation: _Mérida, Yucatán – South-eastern Mexico.'_

**LinebreakLinebreak**

Taz was uncharacteristically quiet as the team boarded the starship, Up had noticed. There was a distinct redness around her eyes, but he decided to not question her about it, as he knew how much Taz valued staying strong and not letting anything drag her down. What worried him however, was that she didn't seem to even have the heart to yell at the ensigns when they acted up, leaving him to do it himself. He didn't particularly mind, but that was one of Taz's favourite things about being a lieutenant – being able to scare the troops into submission – and of course, she was very good at it.

The trip to Mérida was strictly routine, to patrol briefly before they moved on, but Up knew the significance of the slowly rebuilding city to Taz. That was where Tasmine Lopez died, and Taz Lopez, the tough sonofabitch was born.

Up raised an eyebrow and turned when he heard a cry of pain, and was just in time to see Taz storm away from the main deck of the starship, leaving behind an ensign with a bleeding nose behind.

"What did y'say to her?" Up demanded, narrowing his eyes. It didn't take much to set off Taz, especially when she was in a mood like this – but given how subdued she had been, he guessed it was something that upset her, especially since he had seen the look on her face as she walked out – complete defeat.

"Nothin'!" the ensign cried, pinching his nose with a slight wince. "I juft afted her if fhe lived round here before fhe joined de rangerf!" His words were somewhat muffled due to the blood pumping out of his nose. Up scowled slightly, glaring down at the Ensign, causing him to shrink back.

"Go get that cleared up!" he barked, in an authoritative tone. "And for the record, Williams, Lieutenant Lopez did used to live round here – there's a lot of memories involved in this place, so keep y'trap shut – or I'll shut it for you."

The ensign shuffled off to clear up his nose, and Up heaved a slight sigh, debating on visiting Taz or not. Eventually he decided his efforts would only be wasted, as Taz liked to be alone at times. He just hoped she handled the rest of the trip well.

**LinebreakLinebreak**

Up grimaced as he ran through the streets of Mérida, zappers held tight in his hands. Taz had disappeared again shortly after the starship had landed, and scanners had shown that she was no longer on the ship. Up felt the same slight panic he usually did whenever Taz was separated from him in a potentially dangerous area, and immediately set off to find her. He had a very good idea of where she'd go however, though this time, he felt like she shouldn't go in alone.

Up paused when he reached a familiar street, having walked down it seven years ago. Then, however, it had been intact. He frowned, looking at the still destroyed remains of homes, a series of memories washing over him. He stopped at the remains of what would have been a large and warm family home once, and stepped into the garden, moving to the back of the house.

Taz was stood, staring at a branch of a large oak tree, which had a single piece of fraying rope hanging from it. Her arms were wrapped around her body in a defensive position, and her mouth opened and closed several times, but she seemed unable to form a coherent sentence. Up didn't speak, he just wound his arms around her from behind. Taz stiffened at first, but realised who it was, and relaxed into his embrace, her eyes still locked on the hanging piece of rope. Seven years.

"I kept wondering what it'd be like, coming back here," Taz said quietly, and Up hated the dead like tone to her voice. "It's worse den I expected." Her voice became bitter, and Up frowned slightly at the sound.

"Why did I even come back?" Taz asked herself quietly, her shoulders slumping. "It isn't like dere's any graves for me to pay my respects to."

"It was yer home, Taz." Up reminded her quietly, and Taz closed her eyes, reaching out a hand so the rope flitted across her fingers in the slight breeze. She shuddered, as if remembering, and Up held onto her a little tighter.

"No, dis was Tasmine's home." Taz said softly, trailing her hand down the trunk of the tree, and remembering when she would climb it as a child.

"Tasmine's still a part of you, Taz." Up reminded her, and Taz shook her head, pressing her lips together firmly. "She is. You can deny it all y'like, but it's true. And there's nothin' wrong with wantin' t'say goodbye."

"Stay with me?" Taz asked, glancing up at him warily, and he gave her a small smile.

"Y'couldn't get rid of me even if y'tried." He promised, slipping his arm around her shoulders gently. They stood together, staring at the tree where Up had found Tasmine Lopez hanging tied and beat up seven years prior. Taz turned to look at the ruins of her old home, and Up turned with her, giving her shoulders a brief squeeze.

"I bet they're proud of y'" Up told her quietly, and Taz smiled wryly, lightly shrugging her shoulders. She doubted it, somehow, but the thought was nice. She leaned against Up slightly, remembering the happier times, remembering the laughter that used to fill her home. She never thought anyone will fill the hole in her heart that her family left. She sneaked a glance at Up, a sad smile on her face. She was wrong in that respect.

"Let's go back," She sighed softly. "I think I'm ready now."

"Y'sure?" Up asked, glancing down at her in concern. Taz almost smiled, but instead she nodded her head. As long as Up was by her side, the hole in her heart would be patched. He was her family, her best friend.

"I'm positive."


	34. Slow

**A/N - Holy Crabnuggets...It's been a while! Sorry for the long ass hiatus, guys. I've been reeeeeally busy as of late with university and stuff. BUT YEAH. This piece was inspired by a sketch on tumblr by Calculus-Was-tough. I don't think I can postl inks on here...so if you want a direct link to the picture, message me! **

**But yeah, enjoy and expect more TUp!**

Up knew that Taz's pride caused her to take things a little too seriously. Sometimes, he found this little quirk of his best friend to be rather…endearing. However, mostly he found it exasperating, because he just didn't understand it. He had just been made Commander, and he was taking a group of the recruits on an infiltration mission on one of the smaller robot bases. Taz had been assigned to his team with five other rangers, much to his relief, because he liked keeping a close eye on her, to make sure she didn't get hurt.

It had started off as routine first, slip in undetected, try and find the smaller deposit of phason which could blow the base sky high when destroyed, and hopefully set back the metal monsters a good few weeks, to help the league think up a better plan. Unfortunately, one of the ensigns that Up hadn't been too keen on, Everson, had accidentally set off a tripwire alarm, and before they knew it, they were running for their lives.

"_They're catching up, sir!" One of the younger ensigns, a girl named Kristen called out, glancing behind her in a panic. _

"_I can see that!" Up barked as he ran, turning slightly to shoot behind him and nailing a robot in the chest as Taz turned and did the same, but stayed there, running backwards as she fired. "We need a way to slow 'em down!" _

"_The doors work based on a automated lock system!" another ranger, their tech expert Darren panted slightly, gripping one of his gadgets in his hand, the name of which Up didn't know, he never cared for all that technology-talk. "If we can get through one, I can fry the system and put it on an automated lock down. The robots can't blast through it because the metal is extra strong to prevent us from doing the same." _

"_Do it." Up said immediately, glancing ahead and spotting one of the sliding door systems. "There!" he barked. "Move, move, move!" _

_The group began to speed up, and Up ran through the arch, turning as Darren pressed his device against the mechanism of the door and silently urged him to hurry up. He jumped back as the door mechanism let out several sparks, and slowly, the door began to slide downwards. Up grinned and hoisted his zapper up, turning to face the robots, and froze when he saw Taz still running towards them. He noted she had a slight limp, but was running quickly towards them nevertheless, and Up cursed. _

"_Hurry, Taz!" He snapped, panic causing him to be more tense than usual. Taz dived down and barrel rolled under the door and beside him just as it closed, and Up wanted to sweep her into his arms and just hug her. Instead he let out a relieved sigh and nodded at her, though he was sure she could see the relief in his eyes. _

"_Way to be slow, Lopez." Another ensign, Arlington stated sarcastically, shooting Taz a scathing look. "Aren't you supposed to be fast? Guess height does matter after all."_

_Taz flushed in anger and embarrassment and clenched her fists, opening her mouth to retaliate, but Up stood between them, scowling._

"_Not the time, or the place." He snapped, shooting them both warning glares. He knew about their long-standing rivalry, but he really couldn't afford a petty argument in a place as dangerous as this. "Now move out!"_

They managed to successfully plant the bomb and blow up the base, but Taz had been refusing to talk to him since they had left, and Up just couldn't figure out why. She had stalked out of the ship as soon as they landed back at the base, and Up had searched everywhere he could think of, the gym, her room, the library... all of Taz's usual haunts, but she was nowhere to be found. He passed a window however, and happened to glance outside into the training grounds, where there was a large running track he usually made recruits run laps of as part of a punishment. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a flash of inky black hair and paused, turning.

There she was, running around the track with her eyes narrowed in concentration, her lips set in a firm line. He observed the speed in which she was running, and noted she was beginning to tire, and with a pang of worry, he realised she must have been running since they left the starship at least five hours ago. Five hours of running! On a four-hundred mile track. That was ridiculous. Judging by the speed she was running at now, it hadn't been a slow, leisurely jog, either.

Up made his way outside to try and talk to her after grabbing and filling up a water bottle, and as he got closer, he noted just how bad she actually looked. Her whole body was soaked in sweat, her white tank top clinging to her curves somewhat, (something he tried to ignore, because he really didn't want to be caught staring at Taz in any way that could be deemed suggestive. He'd rather not be punched.) and her legs were trembling from the simple effort of keeping her upright.

"Taz." Up said flatly, standing in front of her and stopping her in her tracks. Her breath came in slight pants and gasps as she was forced to stop, and her legs wobbled, but she managed to keep herself up, even mustering the energy to shoot him a glare, though she looked tired. "What're y'doin'?"

"Running, idiota." Taz replied flatly, seeming to keep herself upright by pure force of will. "At least I was, until jou got in my way."

"How long have y'been runnin' for?" Up asked, raising an eyebrow. "What exactly are y'tryin' t'prove by running yourself to th'ground?"

Taz glanced away from him for a moment,her angry mask slipping away for a fraction of a second, and Up's own expression softened as he realised what this was about.

"Is this cos of Arlington? He doesn't know what the heck he's on about, Taz. You're not slow, and you don't have to prove it." He told her firmly, and Taz heaved a sigh.

"I know I'm not slow." She muttered in return, glancing up at him. "I was tripped up, dat's why I had to rush at de end. One of the robots grabbed my ankle with a tentacle and dragged me back."

"Why didn't y'call for help?" Up demanded, frowning at her as he realised just how close he really came to losing her. The look she gave him as an answer elicited a groan from the elder man, who ran his hands down his face in exasperation. Calling for help would seem weak. Of course she would think that. "So if y'didn't trip, why all the runnin'?"

"There's a race on in a few days," Taz replied, licking her lips to try and regain the moisture she had lost. Silently, Up handed her the water bottle and she drank greedily, seeming to savour every last drop. When she was done, she continued. "I figured if I could increase my stamina with extensive training, I could blow dem all in de dust and show dem how fast I really can be."

Up stared at her for a moment before rolling his eyes skyward and muttering under his breath about stubborn ensigns and how they were going to drive him completely grey one day.

"Come on, you look like you're gonna pass out at any second," Up muttered, gesturing for her to head inside. "Go and get some rest. That's an order."

Taz glared at him, obviously not appreciating being told what to do, but she turned, and slowly began to head inside, though her legs began to buckle, and he moved forward to help hold her up.

"I'm fine." Taz said sharply, and Up raised an eyebrow, kneeling in front of her so his back was to her.

"Climb on." He told her dryly, and she paused, and when she spoke, her voice was wary.

"What?" she asked, and Up glanced over his shoulder to look at her.

"Taz you're not gonna make it inside. Hop on my back and I'll carry you. I'm only gonna tell you once. Might as well comply cos I'm gonna carry you anyway."

Taz heaved a long suffering sigh but slowly moved over and wound her arms around his neck, awkwardly leaning against his back. He hooked his arms under her legs and stood up, causing her to be sitting comfortably against his back. She stiffened for a moment, but then he felt her slump against him and relax, obviously relieved to be off her feet. Up began to walk, keeping her held against him as he walked, and he felt her breath lightly brushing his neck evenly, signalling she had drifted off. He turned his head to glance at her, and his cheek lightly brushed against hers. Her head was tilted to the side slightly, and a small, content smile was spread on her lips. He'd never tell her out loud, but she looked adorable when she slept, like nothing in the world had ever troubled her.

Up's lips quirked into a small smile as he watched her, and he turned, heading into the base to make sure Taz could get the sleep she deserved on a comfortable bed, hoping her sleep would be undisturbed by nightmares for once. She deserved a moment of peace.


	35. Notebook

Sticking his head around the door, Up glanced briefly into Taz's bedroom, eyes scanning the area briefly to try and find the lieutenant. Now that he'd finally gotten his balls back (metaphorically speaking) on Bug World, he felt there were a lot of things he needed to talk to Taz about. The only issue was finding her. Up heaved a sigh when he saw that Taz wasn't in the room, and moved to leave, when a small scarlet red book on the bed caught his eye.

It was untitled and without any pattern, completely ordinary. However, there was something about the book which compelled Up to move forward and pick it up off the bed, a sense of curiosity overwhelming him. Flicking it open to the first page, he allowed his eyes to scan the distinct handwritten text on the lined page.

_**July 9**__**th**__** 3019**_

_First thing's first, just to remind myself, this thing ISN'T a diary. I'm not a diary girl. It's just a notebook that Doctor Thurman says can help me deal with 'traumatic experiences.' I doubt it'll help though. How is writing about how my life is so screwed up going to help me in any way? _

_Second, I'd be writing all of this in Spanish, but Thurman said I'm going to be living in America from now on, so I might as well get used to reading and writing in English. So pointless. Good job I already know how to read and write in English. _

Up paused in his reading, lightly biting his lip. So this was Taz's diary? No matter how much she denied having one, it was a book displaying her thoughts and feelings. It started from when she was fifteen years old, ten years ago. He considered closing the book and putting it down, walking away and pretending like he had never seen it. It would be the right thing to do, after all, reading it was an invasion of privacy. On another note, Taz was always so secretive, her emotions were such a mystery to him, maybe this would help him to understand her better.

Weighing the pros and cons of each option mentally, Up finally took a deep breath and continued to read where he had left off.

_I guess I have to start writing about my traumatic experience, huh? Well my name is Tasmine Felicita Lopez. At least it was, until four days ago. On the fifth of July, Tasmine Felicita Lopez died, and Taz Lopez, an orphan, a refugee, a survivor – was born. It was my fifteenth birthday, a kinda pivotal day for girls my age. It was my quinceañera, the day I became a woman. We'd been under lockdown for a while, and Rangers had been set up at posts around the city, but we just tried to go about the day as normal. Mamá forced me into the ugliest pink dress I have ever laid eyes on. Glittery and poofy and completely everything I __HATE.__ She wanted to see me wear it though, so I couldn't really complain too much. She even bought me these disgusting sparkly pink high heels to go with it. HIGH. HEELS.I know I'm short, but I'd rather be short than break my neck in those things. _

Up allowed a small smile to grace his features, though his eyes held some sadness. He remembered this day, he remembered how strong she had been, how seeing the haunted look in her eyes, but the determined expression on her face had called to him. She didn't want to be sad, and she rarely spoke to him of her family, and he imagined how it must have felt for her to write it down. Taz could mock writing therapy all she liked, but the truth was, it really did help.

_I was just finishing getting ready when I heard this loud explosion outside, and I just knew it. We'd been getting serious warnings about imminent robot attacks for a while now, so it didn't come as a complete surprise. I remember thinking about my family, and that sudden feeling of fear. I ran straight out of my house to find them. I did find them, just not alive. Not all of them, anyway._

_Robots were everywhere, large evil metal bastards with no soul and no emotion in their metal husk of a body. They'd killed over half of my family in one simple explosion. I couldn't even tell who was who, the faces were that burned and charred…my own family were unrecognizable. Then I heard a kid screaming – not just any kid. My cousin, Carlos. He was only six. I ran to try and help him, but the robots got to him first. He reached for me and tried to run as they blast him. It didn't kill him straight away. As the robot marched away, I held his hand when he died, so he wouldn't be alone. I rocked the dying body of my six year old cousin, who had been murdered.I arranged him so it looked like he was sleeping, and then everything went by in a blur~_

The ink had started to smudge here, and Up suspected she had finally started to cry. He bit his lip slightly and continued to read, though he was feeling guiltier than before.

_Sorry. I had to stop writing for a while. Dios mio, I'm apologizing to a book, I must be going mad. Anyway, I heard my mama scream and I remember thinking, 'not her, not my mama. And as I ran over, I saw the smoking remains of my papa next to my mama, and I realised I'd never see them again. The robot was aiming at my mama and she looked at me, and mouthed 'goodbye' before she died._

_I've never felt a rage like it before. Suddenly I just wanted to kill every robot in sight. I grabbed the first weapon I could find, which was a rake. Then I managed to destroy a robot with just a rake, though the extra strength added by adrenaline probably helped. Unfortunately, that was all I got until the robots decided that I was special enough for punishment before death. They tied me up and strung me from a tree like a piñata or something. Then they started hitting me with these giant baseball bat things. The bruises still hurt, and I broke a few ribs, but as long as I don't move, I'll be okay. I didn't scream or cry out, that was what they wanted, but I remember blacking out and waking up to hearing someone shouting. Human, thankfully. I opened my eyes and there he was._

_I've always admired lieutenant Up, from a distance, anyway, and I guess I've had one of those typical teenager crushes on famous figures? Mama said it was normal, I thought it was kinda weird to have a crush on someone I'd never met. What a stupid word, crush._

Up grinned slightly, raising his eyebrows and quite liking where this was going. He'd honestly never suspected that about Taz, especially since she'd been so distant and wary when he'd first met her.

_I'd read almost everything 'bout him, though. Reading about him fighting is nothing like seeing him in person. He destroyed the robots with his bare hands pretty much. I've never seen anything like it. Ugh, listen to me. I'm acting like a love-struck school girl. Therapy is such a bunch of bullshit. Anyway, he saved me and cut me down from the tree. I was wary, at first, but I let him carry me because I hurt so much. Then I think I blacked out. Next I know, I'm waking up on a med-bay of a starship. It's been a couple of days and I haven't seen Up again, I guess he's busy dealing with cleanup. I just wonder what's going to happen to me._

Up frowned slightly as the entry ended, and flicked through the next few pages, skim reading. They were all detailed accounts into her life and thoughts up til September 16th 3019, which was her last entry of the year and stated how she was finally ready to move on and start the academy. The entry after that was dated two years later, when she was seventeen years old.

_**November 19**__**th**__** 3021**_

_Hello again notebook of therapy, nice to see you again. It's been two years since my last traumatic experience, and since that clearly isn't enough, let's add to that list. Two days ago, I woke up from a coma. _

Up flinched, oh he remembered that day alright. He hadn't spoken to Taz in two weeks, trying to distance himself from her and spend more time with Allie, his girlfriend of the time. He'd gone for a walk with her around 9pm, and stumbled across her broken, bleeding and bruised body, and for the first time in a long time, he'd been terrified. He realised, that Taz had never told him the full story. Why she'd been in the holo-gardens in the first place, why the bullies had beat her up. Feeling suddenly much more nervous, Up continued to read.

_It all started when Up got a girlfriend. At least, that's when everything went downhill. At first it hurt, for some stupid reason. It really hurt, especially when they kissed in public. I figured it was just that teenage crush thing I used to have ghosting over me, or something like that. After that passed though, it hurt more that I was losing the best friend I ever had. That's right notebook, Up's my best friend as well as my mentor. But, he was busy with Allie, or whatever her name was, so he didn't have time for me. I took it in my stride, as usual, worked hard, trained hard, didn't falter for a second. _

_Truth was? I was dying inside. I'd never felt so alone. _

Up's heart twisted painfully in his chest as he felt the familiar guilt wash over him again. He'd long since made up for leaving her the way he did, and he knew she had been upset about it – he just didn't know how much.

_I guess it went on for about two weeks, until I walked into my room, and there was a note written in his handwriting on my bed, telling me to go to the holo-gardens. I was so stupid. I didn't even stop to consider that the handwriting was actually a little bit different. I just wanted my best friend back, so I ran. _

_Long story short, it was an ambush, by my favourite asshat bullies. They were looking forward to beating me up without having Up intervene for once. So they did. They beat me until I could barely remember my own name, and then they left me there to bleed to death. They forged the note as a trap, because they knew if Up called, I would just come running, like some little kicked puppy who was hurt by its master, but still came to his beck and call. That's how pathetic I am. _

_When I woke up next, I was in hospital, and lo and behold, much to my surprise, Up was by my bedside. Turns out I' been comatose for a week, and Up had stayed by my side the entire time. He promised he'd never leave me again, and gave me his dog tags as some kind of symbol, I guess. I'm still super pissed at him, but my stone heart's cracking a little bit. _

_Damn him._

Up managed a small smile, flicking through the few entries after that, which described her recovery, and how she managed to forgive him over time. The entries after that dated to two years later, describing being kidnapped and tortured on Wiynradia, and the time when she returned home to Mexico. After that was a date he recognized all too well. That was the date he lost everything – well. Almost everything.

_**May 20**__**th**__** 3027**_

_He's gone. He's dead_

_I've lost the only person I care about in this world. _

_I love you Up._

_Don't be dead. Please. Not you too. _

Up froze, re-reading the words repeatedly, trying to understand if he had just imagined reading them. She loved him? Taz actually felt the same way about him that he did her? Swallowing slightly, Up turned to the next entry.

_**May 21**__**st**__** 3027**_

_The past few days have been the most emotionally testing days of my life. We were on a mission, Up, me and the team, to track the last phason deposit, to stop the robots powering the gundam wing unit. It was an awful battle. A lot of losses. In the end, it was just Up and I fighting alone, the rest of our team dead. We'd called for back-up, but it looked like it was just the two of us. We managed to destroy the phason deposit_

_What happened next is all my fault. I was stupid and didn't see the autobots. I was flanked. Next thing I knew, I'm being lifted into the air by my legs, having flashbacks about being tied up when I was fifteen. I could feel the autobot crushing my legs, and Up must have seen me, because he was shouting for me, and through the haze I saw him. He was running for me, but he didn't see the sentinels. I screamed for him, but it was too late. Next thing I know, the tentacles are lifting him up and spreading him out in the air. _

_I just screamed and struggled. The next part I'm going to have nightmares about. Optimus prime turned to him-_

Up flinched, noting how Taz's writing had become shaky, like she was having trouble writing the words. He skipped the next paragraph, knowing perfectly well what happened to him at that moment.

_That's when the help arrived. I remember being shot down and falling into someone's arms and just screaming, screaming and fighting. I couldn't walk, not with my legs. But I needed to get to Up. I must have passed out at some point, because the next thing I know, I'm waking up in the med-bay. That's when everything hit me. The doctors confirmed that Up had been ripped in half, and I didn't wait for any other confirmation. I ripped out the wires in my skin and I just ran to his room and locked myself in._

_Then I cried for the first time since I was fifteen years old. _

_Hupes came along after a little while, and he said the most beautiful three words in existence. 'He's not dead.' I swear the universe was trying to tear us apart, but that wasn't going to stop us. There was only one problem, I guess. That was how Up survived. They only managed to…salvage the left side of his body, the side with his heart. In order to keep him alive, they had to turn him half robot. His whole right side is robotic. I didn't know what to think. I still don't, and I've seen him. He hasn't woken up yet, but I was allowed to see him. His whole right side.. it looks so flawless. Too flawless to be natural, yet from a distance, you couldn't tell it was robotic. _

_I'm afraid for him to wake up. I'm so happy he's alive – you really have no idea. But at the same time, I'm worried he'd rather be dead. _

Up flinched slightly, noting that she was spot on. For a while, he had really hoped to die, had wished he'd died. But that was when he was at his lowest. Sighing, Up turned to the next few entries.

_**May 29**__**th**__** 3027**_

_Up and I are starting rehab together. He needs to learn how to do everything again, from walk to tie his shoelaces – to help him gain control over his robot limbs, I guess. I just need to build up my leg strength. _

_He's trying so hard, but I can see how he just wants to give up. Every day, I can't help but think how this is all my fault._

_I am so sorry. I wish I was brave enough to tell you to your face, Up. _

_**June 3**__**rd**__** 3027**_

_I can't do this anymore. I can't take looking at him and knowing I've done this to him. I walked into his rehab room and found him crying. I should have stayed, comforted him. Instead I left. I left because how can I make it better when I'm the cause?_

_I have to leave._

_**June 5**__**th**__** 3027**_

_I've been reassigned to Commander Hupes. Maybe Up can heal without me. I'm going to miss him, but I'm probably just a reminder of what he used to have. He's better off without me. Time to say goodbye._

"Damnit, Taz," Up whispered, feeling his throat constrict slightly. If he'd known this was how she had felt when she came to say goodbye to him on that day, he would have hugged her and refused to let her go. It had been so much harder to get through rehab without her there, had taken him two extra years. Taz didn't even stay in contact, and he had been hurt, until now, at least. The only thing that kept him going was Hupes getting in contact to tell him how Taz was doing.

Muttering under his breath, Up turned to the final entry, dated for that very day.

_**September 7**__**th**__** 3029**_

_I missed him. _

Up read the simple three words on the page, and bit his lip, lightly closing the notebook and lying it back where he found it. He slipped out of her room, his mind working overtime as he considered a way to make Taz realise that he didn't blame her for his injury in the slightest. His main goal always had been, and always would be, to keep her safe and alive, even at the cost of his own life.

_I love you._

The words, written in Taz's neat, curved handwriting appeared in his mind, and he couldn't stop the slightly goofy grin that spread over his face.

"Me too, Taz." He said quietly to himself, wondering how he should go about telling her.

"Jou too, what?" A familiar accentuated voice inquired, and Up turned to see Taz looked at him, an eyebrow raised slightly. He shot her a small grin, and shook his head.

"Nothin'" he assured her, casually slinging an arm over her shoulder companionably. She rolled her eyes, obviously not believing him, but leaned into his embrace none-the-less. "You still up for the karate kid tonight?"

"Duh," Taz assured him, her lips curving into that special smile she reserved just for him. Up shot her a grin in return, silently planning how he could reveal to Taz that he loved her, and that he didn't blame her for anything. Taz was stubborn, but he was one of the few who could break through to her. He just hoped this time wouldn't be an exception.


	36. First Kiss

**A/N- Okkkay. So I wanted to make this clear. This oneshot is kind of like…strange in the chronology. These oneshots aren't all linked together, so it's best you read them separately rather than try to imagine them all taking place in the same 'universe' Yeah. Enjoy XD**

Six year old Tasmine Lopez, or Tazzie, as she preferred to be called, was very adventurous. In fact, she was probably more adventurous and spirited than the majority of young children in her area, and in her school. As most children did, Tazzie was quite happy to play Starship Rangers all day, and was often made Commander Tazzie when she played the game with her friends, but she was usually voted as commander, because despite being the youngest and the smallest, she was definitely the most enthusiastic.

Tazzie took the game very, very seriously. In her eyes, this wasn't a game, it was training for what she wanted to do when she grew up, and so she always made sure to stay in character. The small group of friends she was playing with in particular on that day were two girls and a boy. The girls, were quite the opposite of Tazzie, they had no interest of playing Starship Rangers, and so Tazzie had sniffed, stating she didn't need them anyway, and stalked away.

The boy, seven year old Felipe Eustaquio was quite fond of Tazzie, and liked her more than most of the people he knew, and he liked her spirit and playful attitude. He saw that she was upset, and biting his lip, and quickly followed after her, looking concerned.

"Tazzie! Tazzie!" he called out, and the dark haired child paused, turning to look at him with a defiant glare.

"¿Qué? (_What?)_" she demanded, looking impatient and also wary. He knew she didn't trust people easily.

"¿Estás bien? (_Are you okay?)_" he inquired quietly, and Tazzie puffed out her cheeks in an annoyed manner, pursing her lips slightly.

"No, estúpido. (_No, Stupid.)_" She shot back at him, and he tried not to wince at the anger in her voice, knowing it wasn't really directed at him.

"Voy a jugar con ustedes. (_I will play with you.)_" Felipe offered quietly, and Tazzie paused, looking at him with both of her eyebrows raised, a look of genuine surprise on her young face.

"Verdad? (_Really?)_" she asked after a moment, and Felipe grinned slightly, nodding his head.

"Si," He told her in a matter-of-fact voice. Tazzie frowned, her eyebrows furrowing together slightly. She tilted her head to the side.

"¿Por qué? (_Why?)_" Tazzie asked, and Felipe blushed, rubbing his arm quietly and shooting her a very nervous grin. She didn't seem effected, simply stared at him in confusion. She knew she was pretty weird, and that most people didn't like to talk to her or play with her. Only a handful of the boys even would. So why was Felipe being so nice all of a sudden?

"Me gustas. (_I like you.)_" Felipe muttered, obviously embarrassed by this confession, and Tazzie's confusion only grew. She stared at him blankly, and Felipe leaned in, lightly pressing a chaste kiss against her lips before quickly pulling back, nervous. Tazzie blinked, obviously stunned before her eyes met his.

Then, a sudden wave of anger crossed her face and she clenched her fists before swiftly punching him in the face and knocking him down, yelling at him never to touch her again. She shuddered and walked away, rubbing the back of her hand against her lips in obvious distaste.

"Ew." Was all she muttered.

"Huh?" Taz asked, breaking out of her almost trance like state as she realised Up was speaking to her. "Sorry, what?"

Up shot her a look, one of his eyebrows raised, and Taz remembered they had been talking about their previous relationships – or lack here thereof.

"I said, out of curiosity, when was your first kiss?"

Taz hid a smirk, shrugging her shoulders in obvious nonchalance. She lifted her feet up, dropping them on the table and began to idly examine her knife.

"Doesn't matter, really." She shrugged, polishing the cool steel of the blade with the bottom of her tank top. "It never really meant anything to me – I was young. I don't really consider it to be my first real kiss, because I didn't want it." She smirked ever so slightly. "He was seven, I was six. I punched him in the face."

Up guffawed slightly, shooting her a slight smirk, causing her eyes to widen in obvious fake innocence.

"Y'don't change much." He noted with a grin, remembering her punching someone in the academy for doing the same thing.

"I'd just like someone to be patient and just wait for me to kiss dem." Taz scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I mean, I make it clear I'm not interested, but dey kiss me anyway. It's so estupido."

"Is there anyone you'd like to kiss you, though?" Up inquired, looking genuinely curious. Taz paused, realising with a mounting horror that the blood was rushing to her face in a blush. Her own body was betraying her.

"No." She said defensively, shooting him a glare, her cheeks alight with colour, and Up grinned slowly.

"Liar." He smirked, idly moving closer to her. Taz's whole body froze, but her eyes saught his for a moment. "I think there is someone." He murmured moving close to her. Much too close. Taz's eyes strayed to his lips for a moment, wondering if he was going to… stupid! She shouldn't even think like that. Still – he was dangerously close now, and Taz knew she could close the gap between their lips if she wanted to – and she really wanted to. She tried to banish that thought from her mind, staying very still, her eyes locked onto his with a burning intensity.

Up stared back at her, the same intense fire in his own eyes, and lightly brushed one of her bangs behind her ear, tucking it in place, his fingers lightly dusting over her cheek, leaving a burning trail on her skin where his skin met hers. The commander let out a slow breath, and Taz felt the light breeze wash over her cheeks, and her eyes trailed down to his lips for a moment. He was waiting for something, apparently, as he didn't make another move towards her. Lips suddenly dry, Taz ran her tongue over them lightly to moisten them, and Up's fingers were slowly caressing her cheeks again, causing her to let out a low sigh of contentment. This was so wrong, and the contact shouldn't feel natural, welcoming. But it did.

Taz realised suddenly, what Up was waiting for. He wasn't going to kiss her, he wanted her to make that choice. She had said it herself, she'd wanted someone to be patient.

"Taz," Up murmured, his voice lower than usual, and Taz felt something shoot up her spine, setting her senses on high alert all of a brain was telling her to stop, that this was a terrible idea and was completely insane – it went against everything she was. Ignoring that part of her brain however, was easy. Much too easy. Her eyes closed, and before she could really understand what her body was forcing her to do, her lips were up against his, and her hands had somehow moved up to tangle themselves deep in his hair.

Up's arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer to him as he returned the kiss with equal enthusiasm, instead of pushing her away like she had expected.

It was short, sudden and completely breath-taking. Slowly, almost reluctantly, they parted from one-another, and Taz wanted to punch him suddenly because the self-satisfied grin on his face told her that he had been hoping for this all along.

"Jerk." She muttered, her eyes narrowing into a glare, but he didn't seem worried.

"You kissed me, remember?" he teased, and Taz let out a slight growl, though she became distracted as her hands were on his chest, and she could feel the slow steady thump of a heartbeat under her fingertips. She paused, glancing at her hands for a moment before her eyes met his startlingly blue ones, which were soft and tender now, a rarity from the usually fierce Commander she knew. For a moment, the utter adoration in his eyes took her breath away, and she knew she couldn't be imagining it. She felt weak for a moment, wondering if she should just shove him away and go to the gym.

He whispered her name once more however, and Taz's eyes slid closed as his lips captured hers instead, the pressure tender and loving, almost. Deep inside of her, Taz knew it couldn't last. Not really. Tomorrow, she and him and the rest of their team would be heading for the last robot base, to destroy the final phason deposit. She realised that Up knew they might not make it out of there alive. If this was her last chance, then screw the rules. For once, she could forget herself.


	37. Guitar

**A/N - It's been a while. But here I am again! With more TUp. This took a while to write as I had to ease myself back into writing. Well. Enjoy the light-hearted humour and romance! and some angst from Up but hey**

It had been a long, tiring, and interesting day for Commander Up. He'd met up with old friends, talked about the past and what he'd missed whilst in rehab, and learned some fun and interesting things about Taz in the process. He glanced at the girl in question, who was sat on his bed beside him, leaning heavily against him, and a wide smile crossed his face. Sometimes, teasing her was just a little bit too fun.

"So," Up began conversationally, and Taz glanced up at him, raising an eyebrow questioningly. " Aldorien, huh?"

As he suspected, a bright blush blossomed in Taz's cheeks, and she looked absolutely mortified. When Hupes had begun regaling the tale of what had happened on that planet, Taz looked ike she had either wanted to punch him, or sink into the Earth forever.

"I don't want to talk about it," Taz muttered, narrowing her eyes at him. "It's over, it's done. Case closed."

"Aww, C'mon Taz," Up grinned playfully at her. "I only know a few details, like you gettin' drunk, the natives kidnappin' y' and forcin' y' t'be their queen. You dancin' round a fire and referrin' to them as yer 'minions'" He paused to snicker. "Oh and the you almost gettin' married part."

"That's more than jou'll need to know," Taz muttered, running a hand down her face as she thought about her time on Aldorien. Hupes was never going to let her live that down. He seemed to live to tell Up, or just people in general, about the endeavours she found herself in, that she came to regret the most.

"Well fine, If y'aint gonna tell me about Aldorien, what was Hupes talkin' bout when he said y' can play guitar?" Up inquired, and Taz blinked, obviously surprised by the sudden change of subject before she managed to catch herself, smoothing her expression into looking dignified.

"I CAN'T play guitar." Taz corrected him with a sniff. "Hupes tried to teach me to give me something to do instead of beating up and potentially killing his crew members, but It never really went too well."

Up raised an eyebrow and stood, heading to his closet. He opened it up and pulled out the plain brown guitar, which Hupes had given him earlier.

"_If she tells you she can't play, she's lying, because she feels like it's a skill she shouldn't have."_ Hupes had told him. _"Just give her the guitar and after a bit of probing, she'll play." _

Up threw the guitar at her, and she caught it by the neck, glaring at him defiantly. Up simply grinned in return and sat back on the bed, watching her. After a while, Taz sighed, positioning the guitar on her lap slightly.

"I'm going to regret dis," she decided, and began to play a few notes before she hummed the bars under her breath and began to play a small tune. Up watched as her expression changed from being mildly annoyed to being lost in the music, concentrating on the notes she was playing. Hupes was right – she was good. Taz's eyes moved from the guitar for a split second to glance at Up, and saw he was watching her intently. She seemed to become a little bit flustered, having forgotten she was being watched, and stopped, clearing her throat.

"I can't play guitar," Up mocked suddenly, and Taz narrowed her eyes.

"I do NOT talk like that!" she warned, gripping the guitar by the neck again, and Up grinned.

"You prolly can't sing either," Up remarked, a teasing lilt to his voice. "Or dance. Y'probably don't have any talents." His eyes were sparkling with mirth, but he yelped and ducked when Taz swung the guitar at him, aiming for his head.

"Shut up, asshole!" she declared, swinging at him a few more times as Up fell off the bed, laughing. Taz could feel a smile creeping onto her face despite herself, and let out a indignant cry as Up stood up, gripping the guitar neck also so she couldn't attack him again. "Let go!"

"No way," Up snickered, and Taz's lower lip jutted out in annoyance, and Up smirked.

"Why, Miss Lopez, I do believe yer' poutin'!" he declared, and Taz flushed, narrowing her eyes even more at him.

"I don't pout!" She snapped, and Up raised his eyebrows.

"I suppose y'don't blush either," he pointed out, and Taz let out a growl, releasing her hold on the guitar and pushing hard at his chest. He gripped her around the waist as he fell, and they both tumbled down onto the bed, Up laughing as they did. After a moment, Taz joined in, and Up let the guitar fall to the floor as he turned on his side to watch her, smiling widely. He had missed this during those two years of rehab. Being able to joke around with Taz, teasing her, laughing. These were the moments he had taken for granted.

"Te amo, Taz," Up whispered, and Taz's laughter faded after a moment, and she simply grinned at him.

"What did jou say Up? Didn't hear jou," she said, slightly apologetically. Up simply shrugged his shoulders.

"Don't worry 'bout it Taz, it wasn't important," he said lightly. Taz raised an eyebrow, obviously not believing him, but shrugged after a moment.

"Sure, okay." She relented, and Up smiled serenely. He didn't have to tell her, because for now, at least, this was enough. Now and again he might be plagued with the desire to kiss her, or to hold her hand, but he could hold back on those urges.

Besides, who could love someone who was half monster and half man? His smile faded slightly as he glanced at his robot hand, but he pushed that thought back, and shot Taz a bright smile instead.

"So, wanna teach me how to play th' guitar?" he asked innocently.

"No." Taz shot back, and Up grinned as she picked the guitar off of the floor anyway.

"Teach me, O'wise one." He said solemnly, and Taz rolled her eyes.

"Don't make me take another swing!" she warned, and Up held his hands up in a surrender. Yes. This relationship he could live with.


End file.
